Only War R0: Fate Reforged
by AriLily
Summary: Thrown back in time to when it all began, Lelouch is faced with a different world than he remembered. Given this chance, he travels along a less dark but no less perilous path that will take him from his life in Japan to the cosmopolitan heartland of the empire. With purpose in his heart, he prepares to reforge fate itself to bring forth a peaceful and brighter tomorrow. (AU/OCs)
1. Prologue: The Passage of Time

_._

 _You fancy yourself a god, Immortal Emperor. You're not a God; you're a parasite, feeding off a world longing for the future. You cannot accept a world that does not want peace, so you force it upon them. The memories of love and loss and life and death, you would take that away from them, their humanity, all for the sake of some misguided ambition._

 _Zero, the Masked Knight_  
 _Sunrise Entertainment: Zero, Knight of Justice 2107._

* * *

The world of C began to crumble as Lelouch stood and stared at the great sphere resembling Jupiter as it revolved in the sky. He watched as the Sword of Akasha pierced the great eye that seemed to watch the proceedings. A loud wail came up from the platform as the image shattered and the great cogs that made up the unconscious reality of man began to fall apart. A pressure that Lelouch never noticed in his mind lifted and the familiar red tint of his eyes from his Geass was fading.

"You see, there was nothing you could do." Charles boomed. The emperor looked content at seeing his life's work fulfilled. Marianne was beside him, wrapping the emperor in an embrace. This wasn't all bad, Lelouch supposed. He looked up at the dying manifestation of humanity. However, it was genocide and the death of free will. "In the end, there is only destruction in our future. This was the only way."

Lelouch stood there in thought for what seemed an eternity, for with the loss of the psychic bridge that had brought him here there was no real way to return to the world of the living for him. The great gas giant even now was fading away, the sigil of Geass like an old scar across the pale orange giant because this was fate. Lelouch thought that all he did was only to further his father's goal. A world divided by war was the best catalyst for creating a weapon to end war. The deaths of millions another statistic to prevent further bloodshed, a weapon to leave humanity in the dust of its past so that one man might experience true happiness.

"No." Lelouch said, stretching his hand out to meet the forgotten freedom of mankind. "There is always another way." For an instant, he thought he saw a hand reach out from the dead giant to him. His father looked outraged, which was what Lelouch wanted. He was furious, his own son wanted to undo his life's work.

"You fool, there is no other way. No dead god can change that." The emperor scoffed, his arms crossed as Marianne looked worriedly from her son to her husband and back. She seemed to want to stop them, but now that the world was at peace, there was nothing else she could do or that needed to be done. Suzaku Kururugi had already accepted his path, why could his own errant son do the same?

"That is where you are wrong, father, where you have always been wrong. You seek stagnation and the past, a world driven by the ultimate lie of peace. You said it yourself back when Clovis died, the only true way is to forge a path to tomorrow." he said, as the great eye opened and the sigil of Geass appeared above again.

"No! You fool, you will destroy yourself." Charles roared, as Marianne watched in silent shock as her son began to fade from reality. "Geass is the ultimate sin in this order, and its power no longer has its claws over humanity, it is pointless to use it now."

"Even so, that is my desire. God! Collective Unconscious, if you can hear me, if you've ever heard me, then I beg you to listen. Please, don't ever stop the march of time!" Lelouch cried out. A loud rumble shook the foundations of the sword as the Geass symbol flared from the eye of the giant and in that instant he saw Euphemia, smiling at him, and Clovis disapproving but understanding. The pink haired princess took the tired rebel's hand as the blond prince put a hand on his shoulder as Lelouch felt himself dragged over the edge into the abyss.

"Go, brother. The future of mankind once more rest on your shoulders."

Lelouch was falling. He felt the wind rush in his ears, and the echoes of Euphemia and Clovis followed his descent through the infinite darkness. His fears melted away, and Lelouch felt a rush of peace. Oblivion or infinity, that's how it would end for him, this way he thought, he could atone for his sins. The images of the two dead royals appraised him as he fell, and he felt light, without the burdens he had or the ghosts of his past that haunted his dreams.

The fall seemed infinite, and Lelouch felt the passage of time and space around him. Deprived of sight, he listened only to the roar of wind and the flap of his clothes as he rushed downwards. Like a stoned dropped from a great height he knew he would soon reach the bottom.

Great warmth rushed over him and he felt himself standing on the edge. Rather, he was floating. A great set of rings stood around him in every direction and dimension. Further out, he could make out more rings as they turned lazily on their axis and spun like so many coins a child would flick with a finger and spin for their amusement. The space around burned like fire, yet did not give off heat.

 **Time is not set in stone.** A voice boomed from beyond, or it could have been from inside Lelouch's mind. **It will deliver all to an end, even those that find itself beyond its reproach.** An image of the emperor, and the tiny child-man that he had seen around Pendragon in his youth, appeared before Lelouch. The former disappeared into particles, then was shot, beheaded, and smothered as a baby. The latter was stabbed, burned, and crushed by something. **Everything that was, is, or might be is contained within my archives, the libraries of fate, time and space.**

"What are you? Where am I?" Lelouch asked, looking around as the rings continued to spin. Looking back, the one he had exited was dull, where the others were bright, and caution tape kept it closed. Looking around, several others were marked in this way.

 **Have you heard nothing I said? I am fate and time and space, the Collective Unconscious. I am what Charles zi Britannia wanted to destroy. I am God.** It boomed; the image of one of the masks appeared before Lelouch, but covering the space around it was cloth like a cloak and shadows in the image of a man.

 **A great many trials lie ahead of you, for humanity needs a shepherd to guide it through to its end. You shall be its shepherd.** The voice maintained. Then, Lelouch saw it, the path forward that his wish had created. A different time and a different providence, armies that clashed above the earth and upon it, weapons that turned cities to ash and brilliant pinpricks of light that shattered great shadows. He saw ships like great seeds falling to earth to wage war, and he saw division, great behemoths of onyx that spat beams of iridescent crimson death.

Night and day held no meaning in these visions of space above, stars in their multitude spun in the vastness of space as worlds uncountable held their different fragments of life where it converged in the nothingness of beyond. A realm of paradoxes, a realm of uncontrolled madness spilled its brilliant blood out of a great tear in reality, like a great drain or a single weeping eye that gazed out on an alien realm.

 **All this and more await you in your path. Yet only you can choose this fate. Child of man, only you and your people has a chance at stopping the coming darkness.** It stretched out its hand. **I can no longer intervene, but I will be watching.**

"This Geass, I do solemnly accept." Lelouch said, reaching to the voice's hand. He felt a burning sensation, images, countless emotions, and raw determination, the strength to move on. "Will I remember any of this?"

 **Yes, but first thing's first. You have a past to shape.** The voice said, and Lelouch was flung into darkness, yet he smiled, even as he felt himself dissolve into the gate he was directed to.

A/N:

Hello again everyone, I'm checking and rechecking the old chapters before I continue with the story. Yes, you read right, Fate Reforged is back. I'm mostly over the entire ordeal and I'm happy to announce that I'm taking things one step at a time. You've all been by my side since the beginning, and I won't let what happened rule and ruin my life any longer. Hopefully, you haven't abandoned this story just yet. I can't promise consistent updates, but rest assured, I'm back and committed to at least finishing R0. Where I go from there is up for debate, though I'd like to finish the initial book and its sequel that finishes the timeline's differences up to the end of Code Geass.

Arilia


	2. Chapter 1: And so it Begins

_The day the Empress Marianne was assassinated, it sowed the seeds for the destruction of the empire as we knew it. The vi Britannia line may have ended with the deaths of Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia following their deaths at the hands of Eleven extremists prior to the invasion of Japan, but the accusing hand of Marianne's eldest son, Lelouch, would be felt in the years to come as the empire would never truly recover from the damage inflicted by the prodigal son._

 _Rise of the Child-Emperor_

 _Neo-Britannia Publishing 2066_

* * *

Lelouch felt tired, and his head pounded like he had fallen, which he may as well have. The green grass around him swayed in the breeze, and the hot, dry air that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him. There was no mistake, this was the air of Pendragon, and the grass the carefully cultivated turf of Aires Villa. He had arrived, just as the Collective Unconscious had said. If that was the case, then he really had work to do.

He sat up, immediately noticing that he had lost a few feet in height. "Bugger this, I don't want to have to go through puberty again." he sighed to himself, sitting up and brushing off leaves and grass from the rich clothes he wore. **This is the day it began, don't waste this chance.** The echo was faint, but Lelouch heard it all the same. "Then today is when . . ." he said, trailing off and took off dead sprint towards the house, ignoring the servants as he brushed them aside, trailing dirt on the freshly cleaned tiles.

"Nunnally. Please be alright." Lelouch breathed as he made his way to his sister's room, half remembered through memories that weren't his own, his younger self's. Right, left, then left again, and he stood at the doors where Nunnally resided.

He paused, his hand resting on the door. This is where it would begin, Lelouch thought, where he would make everything right or die trying. The door opened in slow motion, his hand easing the heavy wooden panel as it glided open on well-oiled hinges. The familiar scent of Nunnally's favorite perfume, grapefruit, Lelouch recalled, escaped as he entered.

The walls had the bright pastel colors of a child's bedroom, bright blues and greens, and the queen sized bed had Nunnally crying on it. A woman had her back turned, yet Lelouch would never forget it, the blue and white gown that his mother had worn the day she died. So it really was today, Lelouch thought grimly. "Nunnally." he said, quite out of breath yet masking it well.

"Lelouch, you shouldn't fight with your sister." Marianne said admonishingly, her eyes held warmth and yet were disappointed at the same time. How anyone could have her killed was beyond him. "She looks up to you, you should be kinder to her."

Lelouch sat at the bedside, Nunnally curled up and crying into a pillow. "I'm sorry." he confessed, putting a hand on her shoulder, feeling her shake with her sobs. "I didn't mean what I said, what I did." Lelouch said as Marianne looked on approvingly, satisfied her two children had finally made up.

Nunnally looked up finally, having been greeted finally by her brother after their fight earlier that day. She nodded in silence, either acknowledging Lelouch's apology or simply his presence. The three sat in silence as Nunnally's sobs passed soon, and she went back to her usual cheerful demeanor.

"Brother, you know I only wanted to impress you." Nunnally admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of her head and focusing on the small scrape on her knee, covered in a bandage. "I didn't mean to fall out of the tree." she conceded, looking out the window at the gardens, and to where the tall, proud oak they had attempted to climb that morning was located. It wasn't much to think on, Lelouch thought, Nunnally always tried to impress him, he was her older brother after all, though he supposed that went both ways.

Neither noticed the time as they continued to chat about unrelated things, about Nunnally's tutors and how she absolutely adored her language tutor yet hated her mathematics and science tutor. That she was a prodigy at learning just as much as Lelouch was, though she noted that the tutor mentioned that she gave her all and would probably surpass Lelouch since he didn't pay too much attention to his studies.

The conversation led to their thoughts on their half-siblings, Nunnally adored Euphemia and Anabeth, and she always fretted over how the twins Castor and Pollux always seemed to be getting into trouble. Lelouch expressed his closeness with Schneizel, who had already began to mentor Lelouch in the finer points of politics and tactics, things Lelouch found more enjoyable than physics and probability.

 **Let the games begin.** Lelouch heard the echo, and only noticed now, as did Nunnally that their mother had gone. Nunnally explained that she had gone to a meeting and was supposed to take Nunnally with her until Lelouch appeared.

All of a sudden they heard shouting and running, and a pair of the royal guard, Lelouch noticed that it was Jeremiah Gottwald and the new woman, Monica, burst into the room, his pistol in their hands and Lelouch saw Jeremiah visibly relax though Monica remained tense. "My prince, my princess. I apologize, but you must remain in this room." he said, swiftly closing the blinds and locking the two doors. "There are terrorists in the vicinity."

Lelouch paled. He had gotten distracted by seeing his sister not feeble and helpless, he had forgotten his main objective. "Then . . . their target was . . ."

Monica nodded solemnly, "I'm afraid you are correct in your assumptions my lord. The Empress Marianne's life was taken mere minutes ago, her body found in the entrance hall when the gunfire erupted. Lady Alstreim is undergoing medical treatment right now for the few wounds she sustained in the attack."

Nunnally looked wildly at Jeremiah, the door, and Monica, the latter of which intercepted her as she made for the door, screaming for her mother. "Mama!" she cried, tears that had only recently dried, found their way back, and Lelouch found himself joining her in her tears.

* * *

Unlike the last time, Lelouch though wryly, he didn't immediately rush to the emperor. Nunnally needed him, now more than ever, and he had taken control of Aires Villa. The first thing on his agenda was to meet with Earl Ruben Ashford, the man who had brought Marianne to the emperor's side and who had created the Ganymede that had carved a bloody path through Saint Darwin Street to put Charles zi Britannia on the throne and most loyal supporter of Empress Marianne.

The man was visibly pale, his head of black hair was disheveled and flecks of grey gave it a salt-and-pepper appearance. His eyes that seemed magnified behind his glasses seemed small and shrunken when he removed them. His eyes were red, it was obvious that he had been crying for some time, public image be damned. "My lord, my most sincere condolences regarding your mother." he said hoarsely.

A blur of blonde hair ran up to him, "It's gonna be alright, Lulu." she said. Lelouch's younger mind clicked the pieces and the older Lelouch had to agree, that Milly Ashford was adorable as a seven year old girl, but pushed this thought to the side for the time being.

"Milly, Earl Ashford. Thank you, and I share in your grief." he said, he knew he was no image of a prince of the empire, though he didn't particularly care at the moment. Despite having gone through the motions before, he was more aware now, he knew he could influence the Ashford family at this critical juncture. **But are you capable of manipulating your friends?** the echo wondered. Lelouch paled slightly, thankfully not enough that anyone else noticed. "Earl Ashford, I thank your family for many years of service, but I feel that your continued support to my family may put you in a position that would not benefit your family."

The man nodded slightly, yet Milly looked from Lelouch to her grandfather in confusion. "Grandpa, what's Lulu talking about? Doesn't he like us anymore?" she asked, and Lelouch had to sigh, Milly was truly blissfully ignorant at their age, then maybe this would make things easier, he thought.

"Earl Ashford, go now in peace. I release you from your vows." Lelouch said, and Ruben bowed stiffly, a small sense of relief present on his features as they seemed to smoothen out from the frown he had worn for some time since his arrival at the Aires Villa. "Though I think it be prudent to leave, the nobles will be looking to tear apart my mother's network now that the 'commoner empress' is dead." he sighed, looking away.

Ruben nodded, "Then fair winds and good fortune to you, Prince Lelouch." he said, holding out his hand as Lelouch took it, seeming small in the larger man's grip.

"Until next we meet then, Earl Ashford. However, where will you go?" he asked.

Ruben smiled down at Milly, "Somewhere I can be away from this nonsense. I hear Japan is a nice place and there is already a large Britannian presence in the area. I'm sure we'll be quite safe there."

* * *

Lelouch was vulnerable, he knew that much. His position left him in an uncomfortable position. The deck was stacked against him, he needed dependable men. Many of those that had followed Marianne were dismissed by the emperor or called back by some means. Only four of his mother's once eight strong honor guard remained, Lelouch reviewed in his mind. "Yet only one of these existed in my day. Jeremiah Gottwald, who becomes the leader of the purist faction, a margrave with an impeccable career and spotless record of service. Granted, that had only been for three years, but he had to admit that the rigid knight had grown on him back when he was Zero and was a bit fanatical to his loyalty to his mother and apparently by extension, himself.

"The other three. Monica Kruszewski, candidate for Knight of the Round status in a few years." he said, recalling that a Kruszewski was present on Kamine Island prior to the attack. "Then there's the other two. Kingsly and Bishop." he mused, going through their files.

Philip Kingsly had distinguished himself as a capable knightmare pilot and marksman. He had training in survival and was a captain in the pacification of Area Three. His wife Beatrice was close to Marianne, as the two had been friends prior to Marianne's rise to power. It appears that Beatrice had been dragged along and met Philip early in his career and before Marianne was married to the emperor. Lelouch browsed through the file. **To ask a man with nowhere else to go should you disappear, to accompany you with his family, are you prepared to face what comes next?** Lelouch shook the voice from his mind, muttering under his breath that God didn't interfere with the affairs of mortals. "I'll ask, if he comes, then I'll care for his wife and child as well."

Jacqueline Bishop, a natural born half-Britannian of French origin. Her ancestor was one of the few remaining members of the French nobility that escaped the guillotine and boarded the few ships bound for the new world. She had achieved brilliant scores in the knightmare simulator, easily ace level. "And being the fourth of five children, she would obtain nothing in terms of prestige and titles." he noted.

It was only a matter of time, Lelouch thought. Soon, he'd have to put plans in motion. Now that he knew Japan was going to be attacked, there was time to delay the invasion. "Yes, Pierce. This is Lelouch vi Britannia. I understand, but there are a few things I need you to do." he said, and began sowing the seeds for his failsafe. "Survival of the fittest indeed."

* * *

Omake: More Musings

 **Oh, that is clever. What will you do next . . . shepherd of mankind. Where will your path take you next.** God mused, looking at Lelouch as the latter pondered his next move. Around him, the rings began to turn, and a pattern began to form. **You clever boy, now where will you go from there.**

Images of the invasion, long fixed in their timeline, began to distort and fluctuate. Nothing was set in stone, a rebellion reborn, a future unwritten. The immortal watcher looked at his scroll, where fate resided in its entirety. **A grim path you are on, but a noble one.** it noted as the scroll rolled up and he sat back, and continued to watch.

The image of a young red headed girl holding up a perfect exam paper to a beaming woman appeared before him. **Now, where do you factor into this?** **Kallen Kozuki Stadtfeld . . .**

* * *

A/N:

Hello everyone, ZE here, a thank you to the people who've clicked on the favorite and follow. Happy to see positive feedback so far. First thing's first, remember, this is AU, not everything is according to canon. Some things might never happen, but that would be spoiling. The collective unconscious might say something about it, but you won't hear it from me.

Until tomorrow comes, ZE, signing off.


	3. Chapter 2: From the Ashes

_In the days prior to the exile of the remaining members of the vi Britannia line and their remaining vassals, a certain silence fell over Pendragon. Not regarding the death of Empress Marianne, for to talk of death was to invite it. No, a silence fell over Pendragon as it began to deteriorate from within, nobody noticed it at first, but in time all did and they would remember the final words of Lelouch vi Britannia._

 _Rise of Neo-Britannia: The Vi Britannia Line_

 _Neo-Britannia Publishing, 2102_

* * *

If there was one thing that Lelouch was sure of, it was that those with power didn't ever want to lose it and the same went for money. Ever since the departure of the Ashfords, Lelouch had managed to derail the impending invasion without lifting a finger. The shares the Ashford family held over the knightmare division left a large hole with their fall from grace. As happy as the nobles were at the loss of competition, they panicked and caused the fall of the Britannian stock market.

Lelouch smirked as he saw the numbers fall in, money that had previously belonged to the Ashfords fell to him since their departure as the remaining owner of the knightmare market and the vi Britannia family were well known for it. Pierce had done his job admirably, causing the snowballing effect that Lelouch had desired. The imminent invasion that Lelouch had feared was gone, or at least he hoped. He had sent Jeremiah Gottwald and Monica Kruszewski to set the groundwork for Lelouch's brainchild. **The perks of being the ex-leader of a rebellion in a child's body with the funds of a the nobility and the skill of one thrice your age in wisdom.** the voice chuckled.

Lately, the voice had gone quiet, to hear it after a week was a chilling thing. He supposed he would have to live with it, it did give him the opportunity to make things right. At the very least, Lelouch thought, Japan would be safe a little while longer. He had been careful laying out information regarding the collapse. It would happen soon, Lelouch knew. By the time anyone realized what was happening, it would be too late to stop the collapse.

It was only a matter of time now. He'd laid the bait, it was time for someone to collect, Lelouch thought grimly. He had fully intended to meet the emperor, so it was time for him to put on a show. "Philip, please get the car. I have a meeting with the Emperor." Lelouch said. **And a date with destiny.**

* * *

The great audience chamber of Pendragon Imperial Palace was massive, the crowds of nobles going about their business and those requesting audiences were seated towards the back behind the main doors. Lelouch strode through the doors, fully aware of what would occur this day. "Hail, your majesty. My mother, the empress is dead." he recited from memory, watching the coldness around his father's eyes tighten, and in that instant, Lelouch knew his father did care, but for the sake of his empire and his image, it remained hidden.

"Old news, what of it? You come to tell me what I already know, don't waste my time boy. Send the next one in." he said, waving his hand for his guards to stop as Lelouch stepped forward.

"I don't pretend to understand you, father. I will never, but I know that I loved my mother, and I know for a fact that this was no terrorist act." Lelouch said darkly, glaring at his father, who raised an eyebrow. "I had the doctors perform an analysis, and the ballistics say it was a pistol or some small weapon that killed her. Not the rifles the so-called terrorists used in their attack. She recalled her guard, she was careful, she'd only do that if she knew the person." Lelouch enumerated calmly, despite the rage building even if he knew it was an act on both their parts. "I am tired

"You are too clever, Lelouch. I will admit this, you have lost much use to me, your mother's death has reduced your standing in the courts." the emperor replied evenly, looking down at his son.

"I am tired, no, I am sick of everyone groveling at your feet for the chance to sit on the throne. I am sick of the lies and the murder and the betrayal. I give up my claim to the throne." Lelouch announced, taking another step forward.

The emperor rose from his throne, anger burning bright in his eyes. "You are dead to me. Dead from the moment you were born. I who gave you the clothes on your back, the food that you eat, even your very life. As such you are dead, no, you are not tools, but bargaining chips. You dare to think yourself a prince, when you are less than nothing to me. You will be forgotten, for without my name, you are nothing."

Lelouch stood his ground when even the emperor's guards recoiled at the emperor's sudden passionate speech."No, father. You will remember my name for a long time to come." Lelouch said, sweeping out of the hall as the entire assembled crowd of nobles gawked at how a boy of ten had stood his ground against the strongest man in the world.

* * *

"I cannot ask you to uproot your entire family and move with me to Japan. I understand if you want to stay, but you should know that there's a target on all those who served under my mother." Lelouch said, as he sat across the table with Jacqueline and Philip, the latter of which had brought his wife for it included her as well. "You must choose, I'm afraid. The emperor was very clear on what would happen to me, so I imagine any and all people linked to me would suffer as if they had been me."

"My prince, my loyalty was to your mother and to protect her name. So long as I am able, and you will have me, I will serve you. I will shield your back against all who would attack you and be your sword to smite your enemies." Jacqueline said. "I was never really going to inherit anything other than a small sum of money, it's not much." she shrugged.

Philip looked less certain. "I have my family to think about." he began, looking at his wife, who frowned, looking both frightened and deep in thought. "It was always clear for me, that I would guard your mother and all who shared her blood. You and your sister are her only children, and so I am bound to you." Philip admitted.

"I knew Marianne before she became empress, and she remained the same until she died." Beatrice said, looking at Lelouch, who was contemplating Philip's words. "You and Nunnally mean the world to me just as Alice does." she said, smiling at her husband. "If you want to follow your prince, I will follow my best friend's kids, it's the least I can do."

"I thank you for your loyalty, Philip, Beatrice, Jacqueline. If there is anything I can do, please, let me know. We must vacate Aires Villa as soon as possible." Lelouch said. "You didn't hear this from me, but Jeremiah Gottwald and his newly wed wife Monica have a sizable estate in Japan already. They may also have notice of your arrival, and your funds may have also been mysteriously transferred to bank accounts in Japan." Lelouch said casually.

The other three in the room looked at the ten year old, and perhaps not for the first time, were in awe at his capabilities even at his young age. **You definitely thought this through. Clever.**

"Philip, if you would, I have something I need your family to do." he said. "Call your daughter as well, this concerns her as well."

* * *

Aires Villa had become quiet of late, then again, the death of the empress who once resided and the exile of her two remaining children would do that. Lelouch had released the workers from their contracts and paid them in order for them to get back on their feet. The only souls who remained were the two remaining knights of the vi Britannia family, a woman and her child, and the two children of the late empress Marianne.

Nunnally sat in the gardens, underneath the tree she and Lelouch had argued under what seemed like an eternity ago. She rubbed the healed scrape absently, having chosen to dress in a simple white skirt and blouse, her violet eyes absorbing the gardens that she had so loved in her youth. Something she would have to soon leave behind.

Lelouch had told her all about it, it was true that she wanted nothing to do with the throne, but she didn't think that they had to get exiled for it. Nunnally did resign herself to being cast aside, but it didn't mean she had to like it. "I don't understand. Mama, what am I supposed to do?" she sighed, holding the locket that had been given to her by her mother the day she had died.

Her mind briefly wandered back to what Lelouch had said to her. _We need to disappear, or they'll never stop hunting us. We need to change everything, our names, and especially our looks. Mother's eyes were too recognizable._ Lelouch had said to her. She loved her mother's eyes, a clear shade of amethyst, and loved people telling her how her eyes were so similar. It was for their safety of course. They were scheduled to leave in a few hours, Lelouch made sure that she knew what was going to happen.

Nunnally shook her head, maybe she was being childish, but then again, it wasn't everyday that she was told that she was going to destroy her home to make it look like that it was an assassination attempt. Lelouch's explanation was that they'd not be missed, so better to leave no evidence or anything left behind to ensure they could be tracked.

Philip approached her a few minutes later, five hours before their "Official" flight was scheduled to leave. She knew that everyone remaining in Aires Villa was about to be officially dead. They had to disappear, for them to ever be safe. "My lady, it is time we were on our way."

They had been extremely meticulous, Lelouch had procured a set of contact lenses for her to wear, in the same shade as Philip's crimson. Her hair was blonde, but since his entire family was, there was nothing much that needed done. Alice had been told that she had to act as family to Nunnally, but then living her entire life around Nunnally didn't make that too difficult. "Erica Kingsly." she said to herself. "Born October six, to Philip and Beatrice Kingsly. Alice is my older sister by one year." she recited.

The young former princess didn't like all the deception, but she knew it was necessary. Officially speaking, Philip had been released from his vows as had all the remaining members of Marianne's guard. Jeremiah Gottwald had also married Monica Kruszewski and the two were living in Japan and had extended an invitation to Philip to stay with them for the time being. "My la . . . sister, er, Erica. It'll be alright, you'll see." Alice said as they climbed into a nondescript car. Nunnally smiled at Alice, her sister now. Lelouch didn't want to go together, as much as it pained both of them, Nunnally understood why he did so.

Lelouch was out of the Villa with Jacqueline, nobody else was home, now it was time to set the stage. Nunnally watched with horrified fascination as Philip held the small blue detonator with its red button on top like so many movies had portrayed them. "Sir Phi . . . dad. Can I be the one to push the button?" she asked. "I want this sin to at least be on my shoulders." she said.

Philip looked at her for a moment. "Of course." he said hoarsely, handing it to her. "Wait for my signal, we need to get away before you do." he said, and she saw a single tear roll down his cheek. "We'll keep you safe, princess. Don't be afraid." he said.

The bomb wasn't really a bomb, it triggered a small charge that would ignite fires across the mansion, eventually burning everything down. There would be no trace, Lelouch had been thorough and nothing could be traced. Philip thought to himself as they drove away to the nearby airport. Not that it helped.

Nunnally was tense for the thirty minutes it took for them to get through immigrations and customs, carrying a small pink backpack that matched Alice's. She had changed out of the designer skirt and blouse from earlier into a pair of jeans and shirt that had belonged to Alice. To her embarrassment, even a new set of underwear had been provided by Beatrice at Lelouch's orders. Her old clothes had been left in a compartment in the car that had brought her to the airport and her hair was cut from its usual long curls to just at her shoulders, before the excess hair was burned in a small can and tossed into the garbage, and straightened before being tied into a messy ponytail. The detonator sat in a shielded pencil case under coloring materials and pencils complete with sketchbook.

She would have words with her brother when this was all over and they were safe. He was too cautious, she thought. Though he was doing this to protect her she reminded herself. This wasn't for forever, she thought.

"Now boarding, Britannian Airlines flight CX227 bound for Tokyo, Japan. Please proceed to gate 54." the announcement said. Philip stood with his wife and children, "Let's go everyone." he said, leading them to the departure gate. "We don't want to be late."

Nunnally followed silently, the attendant smiling, praising how cute the two children were, not knowing that she had just seen Nunnally vi Britannia before her "death". Philip nodded, handing the passports, Nunnally still didn't know how Lelouch had created a fake profile complete with records and schooling in two days.

They had taken their seats and Nunnally glanced at the clock. It was now nine in the evening, around the time she would be sleeping and three hours to their "official" flight. "Now." Philip said quietly to Nunnally, who nodded just as she seated herself. She dug into her backpack and brought out the small detonator, no larger than a pen and no wider than a marker.

"I'm sorry." She depressed the stud and the signal fired, bouncing off the car that had brought them in, another at a nondescript gas station where a van was parked. Again towards an office building where a router fired it towards a car as it drove towards Saint Darwin street, before bouncing off and finally hitting the receiver at Aires Villa, spilling the accelerant within the cooling pipes and under the floors. Within minutes, Aires Villa was on fire and in ten, had burned down before fire fighters could properly control the blaze. Nunnally vi Britannia had perished in the flames that destroyed her home and Erica Kingsly was on her way to her new life in Japan.

* * *

A/N:

Hey all, ZE here. Sorry to those who thought Kallen would appear already. Nunnally had to get away before anything else. Lelouch knew she would be exploited so he got her away before he made any moves. Yes, Lelouch held some sway over Jeremiah and Monica getting married. I admit, they're one of my ships, I don't know why. I changed her age and made her older (Otherwise she'd be . . . fifteen?). Anyway, look forward to the next chapter, Lelouch makes his final plans and goes to Japan. Exposition, all of Lelouch's knights were dismissed following the empress's death. As far as anyone knows, they no longer swore fealty to Lelouch. They were stripped of knight rank and dishonorably discharged for failing to save the empress. More on that later, I've given some snippets of what's gone on behind the scenes, tune in soon for the next chapter.

Until Tomorrow Comes, ZE signing off.


	4. Extra: Tales of Exile (1 of 2)

_The invasion of Japan suffered two major setbacks, the first was the economic depression brought about by the loss of the Ashford family and the major stockholders of the knightmare industry, it caused a chain reaction that slowed down the progress of the Glasgow's development, delaying the invasion by almost a year. The second was a much less known event known by those who do know about it as Marianne's Ghost, after the death of Marianne and Nunnally vi Britannia and the exile of Lelouch vi Britannia to Japan, certain state secrets were leaked onto the internet that caused a major fallout and rebellion in areas, causing the areas under imperial control to be reconquered before invasion could take place. In total, the machinations of Lelouch vi Britannia would setback the empire's invasion plan by almost two and a half years._

 _Great Figures of the Twentieth Century_

 _UFN Press, 2066_

* * *

The plane that carried Lelouch alighted on the tarmac of Tokyo International Airport in the late afternoon, the warmth of the summer in Tokyo was nothing compared to the average temperature of Pendragon. He had gone over the etiquette required of him as a visiting dignitary, with their prime minister meeting him, it was important to get things right, as he'd be their guest **Actually, you're more of a hostage at this point.** Lelouch shook his head.

He stepped off the covered ramp that brought him down and gave a slight bow, with their difference in size, his slight bow was enough as Genbu would be forced to bend lower, which was both disrespectful and painful to the aging man. "Welcome, Prince Lelouch. I am Genbu Kururugi, prime minister of Japan." he said amicably with a respectful tone and a nod.

"Thank you for coming out to meet me, prime minister." Lelouch said extending a hand that the prime minister gave a firm shake to. The latter gestured to the former into a limousine and they began the journey to the Kururugi shrine. The journey was spent in silence, with Lelouch looking out the window most of the journey. It was almost as he recalled, save the fact that Suzaku had been present the last time, yet there was no trace of him anywhere.

"My condolences on your mother and sister," Genbu said after a fashion. "I only learned recently, I must admit it slipped my mind with your arrival." he said. The two exchanged stories and Lelouch got a feel on how the prime minister worked. One thing was clear, he was a noble man, gentle yet firm.

Lelouch nodded, "It's alright. I've grieved, I'll be the first to admit I'm not convinced it was terrorists." he said darkly. "There was no way they would have gotten into Pendragon much less Saint Darwin street without being noticed."

The prime minister leaned forward in his seat, "What your saying can be considered treason." he noted, folding his hands together. "What can you hope to gain by telling me this?"

Lelouch smirked, "If it wasn't clear before, then I'll be plain right now, prime minister. I was disowned." he said. "There is nothing tying me to the empire now. I'm prepared to offer you information that could save your country, I only ask you give me asylum once I do."

Genbu frowned, "Truth often comes from the mouth of children even if we don't want to hear it. A boy of ten selling out his country that betrayed him, looking for safety in the country with the most valuable resource next to humans themselves. We'll talk more at a later date, but we must first keep up appearances. No sense alerting the empire."

The prince nodded and the prime minister sighed. "We must all play our part in the wars to come. I can only guide my people and pray we are prepared."

* * *

Jeremiah Gottwald sat in the home he had built for himself following his discharge from the military, Monica sat at his side, her head on his shoulder. "I still can't believe that all of us were discharged and we're still here serving our prince." he shook his head. "Two months since the empress died, and still no word from Lelouch." he took a drink of the wine his father had sent him.

It was surprising, he never thought he'd have fallen in love with anyone but the empress, and yet here he was. Monica made a good wife, he was the first to admit. She was funny, kind, and always full of life, much like the empress had been. Or was he simply substituting her for the empress. He had debated over this several times in the past, and he was not entirely sure anymore.

"Jerry," Monica said, snapping him from his musings. "What is his plan? Why ask us to go to Japan?" she asked. She sighed, shaking her head. It made sense on some level, Japan was out of the way despite the Britannian presence in Japan and the Sakuradite. It was quiet, peaceful, and altogether a pleasant place.

"Japan will be invaded, next year in August." Jeremiah said, looking at her seriously. "I should never have . . . if you're with child during the invasion I don't know what I'll do with myself." he shook his head.

Monica frowned, "With child." she repeated. "That sounds so . . . archaic, say it, I'm pregnant. It's not your fault, we both had too much to drink that night." she said sheepishly, patting her belly. "It'll be alright, but you never answered my question. What is the prince doing?"

"I don't have all the details myself. I just know he plans to make a difference, and he plans to change everything."

* * *

The Kururugi shrine sat in the countryside, it was here that Lelouch remembered Suzaku, and even Kaguya. The tall wooden house was built in the old style of Japanese houses, expansive and elegant, with a large sprawling garden out in the back and a stone pathway leading to the house itself. The familiar two floor shed sat out back at the edge of the forest and the hill that he and Suzaku had climbed up over and saw the invasion begin.

The door opened and Genbu went out first, opening the door for Lelouch who stepped out easily and walked with him to the Kururugi household. The stern face of Suzaku's mother looked at him with something of disapproval. Suzaku stared Lelouch down like he did the last time, as if daring him to do something. Kaguya looked on in fascination, as if seeing an animal at the zoo, with trepidation and wonder in her eyes. The last was an unknown girl, with the same brown hair as Suzaku and his green eyes. She stood behind Suzaku's mother, clutching her dress as she stared in fear at Lelouch.

 **This is interesting. A new variable.** The assembled group gave a bow and Lelouch returned it, Genbu nodded. "This is my family and Kaguya Sumeragi. My wife, Midori, my son Suzaku, and my daughter Suzuki." he introduced. "Everyone, this is our honored guest, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. I trust you will treat him well." he said, glancing at his wife.

Lelouch's days at the Kururugi shrine were anything but dull. He had since resigned himself to fitness, as his reliance on geass which he may not even gain, may prove useful in the coming conflict. Kyoshiro Tohdoh was his instructor, and he was a harsh master, Lelouch didn't mind. His afternoons were mostly spent on martial training with Tohdoh and Suzaku. He would never reach either of their levels of proficiency, and each night would retire bruised and sore from the day's beatings. A year would pass quietly in this manner.

It was one day in November, when Lelouch was reading a Britannian newspaper forwarded to him by Gottwald, who claimed he wanted to check on his former master, and brought a copy of the news to him as well. "Is this what you wanted, my prince?" Gottwald wondered as Lelouch's mouth twisted upwards in a smile. "This will affect more than just the war effort. What are you trying to accomplish?"

The boy smiled, Suzaku was with him and Lelouch had managed to gain his trust rather quickly after appealing to his honor. "It's alright Gottwald, I trust him." he nodded to Suzaku. "Yes, this is my plan. Delaying the invasion is the best course of action we have. However . . . I'm afraid that there is another complication to this plan." Lelouch said.

"The last time you said that, we ended up running fifty laps." Suzaku reminded him, messing with Tohdoh was never the best idea, and pulling a prank on him was less recommended by Suzaku.

"It was harmless, the dye would have washed off in a week." Lelouch waved his hand to dismiss Suzaku's skepticism. "We've given Japan the blueprints for the Glasgow, hopefully it doesn't receive too much red tape. At my last count, Britannia had ten thousand of them ready for active service. Once they reach the twenty thousand mark, it's likely they'll begin the invasion. The effects will be swift after that and will allow the world to catch up to Britannia as my goodbye present takes its toll."

"What exactly did you do, my prince?" Gottwald asked. "I built up project Hyperion as you requested, the Ashford family, Kingsly and Earl Stadtfeld's son have agreed to be our partners. I have sent offers to other corporations both local and abroad, but I fail to see how this will help your cause at this point." he said.

Lelouch looked at Gottwald for a moment then sighed. "Rest assured Jeremiah, it's because it doesn't help me and that the project began prior to my arrival that makes it seem like I'm not involved. I imagine a few years more before we're up to a good standard, and by then, I'll be forgotten and free to do my work from behind the scenes." He glanced up at the panicked face of his knight. "It's all part of the plan, soon we'll make a world where Nunnally would have been happy, where the strong don't oppress the weak. I've bought Japan some time, and I can only hope its enough."

* * *

Tokyo was a bustling metropolis, and Erica Kingsly had to admit one thing. "This place is so much nicer than Pendragon." she confided to Alice as the two and their mother went shopping together. Nunnally had transitioned into her persona as Erica quite well, and Alice, while having a little trouble at first, fell into place as well in around a month. Philip was a convincing father figure, a lot easier to approach than the man she actually shared half her genes with certainly, and he had come to love Nunnally as a second daughter. Beatrice took to Nunnally easily, as the child of her best friend, she felt compelled to shower her with affection like how a grandmother doted on her grandchildren.

Alice bounced around as any child who was currently on a sugar rush would. The two had managed to convince their mother to go to one of the famous mochi desert places on their way back from school. That was another thing that Nunnally loved about Japan, her anonymity had her pegged as just another student instead of on a pedestal. Nobody recognized her, which was obviously for the best, and she had made a good number of friends that were Japanese, Britannian, even some other nationalities and former Numbers that managed to immigrate to Japan from their respective Areas. "So much better, yeah!" she exclaimed.

Beatrice shook her head, _Marianne, if you could see her now._ she thought sadly. Nunnally, or Erica as she was called now, had grown up into a fine girl, not proud as someone of her birth usually was. She was down-to-earth, kind and a gentle spirit. She misses her brother, its been two months since she had last heart a word from him. A year and three months since Aires Villa had been burned down and her identity as Erica was established.

"Mama, what's wrong?" Erica asked, and Beatrice realized she had been staring into space as the other bounced around. She shook her head.

"Nothing, dear. I'm alright."

* * *

Omake: Yet Another Variable

Charles zi Britannia stormed into the geass research division, CC was sprawled lazily as VV was frowning at the green haired woman. "You've gone too far, brother." Charles spat, glaring at his older brother. "She was my wife."

"You have twenty more." he said dismissively. The giant of a man swept low and brought the man-child by the scruff of his neck nearly five feet off the ground.

"Missing the point." he said, before snapping the little man's neck and dropped his body on the ground. CC nudged him before looking quizzically up at Charles.

"He's going to remember that." she said.

"He had better. I leave him in your capable hands." he said, walking out the room.

It had been ten minutes before VV's body twitched and he sat up. "I don't think Charles is still convinced on Ragnarok." CC said.

"Maybe I should take matters into my own hands. We're going back to the base. I need to find Marianne's remaining brat before he becomes too big of a nuisance." VV smirked. It was the little things that made immortality worth living, and petty revenge was never above him.

* * *

A/N:

Hello everyone, ZE here. This and the next chapter are slice-of-life prior to the invasion. The invasion will be two to three chapters followed by the aftermath. The rest of the story is still in its planning stage so ideas are welcome. Before anything else, I'd like to welcome all the followers Fate Reforged is getting. Hope to hear from all of you, need your reviews to help me keep going. Constructive criticism is welcome as always. I don't want to hear vulgar comments to other members or myself, there are ways to express yourself that don't involve such words.

Lelouch has kept Nunnally away to keep her safe. He knows he's still probably being observed, and his knights have fallen off the radar to keep suspicions away. His idea is that a legitimate group could allow him some form of control over terrorist actions to better facilitate his plans while keeping the empire off his back. A multinational group will also allow him access to areas he previously didn't have and resources that will further his cause.

Until Tomorrow Comes, ZE signing off.


	5. Extra: Tales of Exile (2 of 2)

_The invasion of the Philippines was the first major stepping stone following the economic crash of the knightmare industry that delayed Japan's invasion. The Marcos family that was loyal to Britannia defeated the Aquino Rebellion following the EDSA massacre and opened the way to Britannian rule. The invasion also gave Britannia a fortifiable location in asia with which to continue its conquest, the sphere expanding as far as Taiwan and Borneo. Area Ten would eventually become the main powerhouse of Britannian presence in Asia, stretching from the naval fortifications of the Visayas to the air bases in Luzon, the delay of the imperial occupation of Japan worsened the situation for the Chinese Federation and Japan as well._

 _Britannian Conquests: The Asian Theatre_

 _Pendragon Publishing, 2016_

* * *

Lelouch was currently accompanying Jeremiah to a conference of the core members of his Hyperion Project. He had managed to enlarge his network subtly with Jeremiah's help, the fact that his standing as the heir to the Gottwald family plantations and subsequently the business that it provided had given Lelouch the ability to work with a lot more than he normally would have considering he'd been disowned.

The inner council that currently made up the circle of Hyperion were ten from across the EU, Britannia, and Japan. Those unable to arrive in person did so through video conference set up at designated seats. Six, including Jeremiah were seated as the remaining four were currently on conference call.

The members who were there in person were Jeremiah Gottwald and Philip Kingsly, his knights. A middle aged man with red hair and green eyes sat beside Jeremiah, Robert Stadtfeld was currently chatting with the elderly Ruben Ashford about the latter's plan of opening a school that could cater to a larger demographic of nationalities. The final two members were the elderly Taizo Kirihara and Akihiko Sumeragi.

On the screen were the final four members that were half a world away or otherwise unable to make the trip. One was Harold Malcal, a prominent figure in the EU's political and economic sector, someone who would be instrumental in opening the EU for Hyperion. Another was Dominic Asplund, an earl with a knack for science and whose son was an upcoming knightmare designer, physicist and engineer and one who didn't care much for Britannia's anti-Number policy. The third was Rakshatta Chawla, who he'd contacted some time ago while she was working on her cybernetics. The final member was Vivian Wood, a scientist in the EU who's father had worked closely with Albert Einstein and had some knowledge into their works before the latter two passed away.

Familiar now by the monthly updates since Lelouch triggered the stock market decline that led to the postponing of the invasion, of course blamed on certain rebel factions in controlled areas with some blaming the EU or the Chinese Federation, Hyperion expanded quickly under Lelouch's guidance.

"We've begun work on the Titan knightmares on our end, they'll be diesel powered, with the EU's shares in the world oil supply, it will be easier for us than sakuradite." Harold said, the blueprints of their frame was still limited at best. The machine stood around seven meters tall, but weighed in at roughly eight tons, the diesel engine was heavier than its sakuradite counterpart and less efficient.

"Ashford Academy in Japan and Ashford University in Paris are already under construction, we've received the permits thanks to Mr. Malcal and Mr. Sumeragi for speeding up the process. Our staffing is understrength as of now, I will search for teachers among the population of Japanese and French and abroad." Ruben reported, the numbers of both campuses falling well within their budget including the amount set aside by Ruben. "Construction on the university campus should be complete within two years, the academy will be put on hold as requested."

Rakshatta was the next to chime in her report. "These blueprints you've sent me are quite a remarkable find, though obtaining the necessary sakuradite to power them is another matter altogether. With the Stadtfeld family's support, I've been able to produce our own variant of the Glasgow, though I imagine this is only a starting point. Earl Aslplund, your son is doing a marvelous job, though his affection for pudding is a bit disconcerting." she frowned, earning a chuckle from most members of the board.

Robert gave the group a nod before beginning, "The civil sector is going well, we'll have our support groups up and we've begun setting up several hospitals and clinics across Japan, they all have concealed underground shelters and should withstand anything short of a direct hit by military grade explosives." he said. "I have recruited doctors from across Japan and even some European nations have agreed to several medical personnel and technologies transferred, thanks to both Vivian and Harold."

"In that case, I have news for everyone." Asplund said. "Britannia's mobilizing for war, they're behind schedule as it is. The Glasgows will be deployed in this conflict."

The whole room was abuzz with speculation as a war map and declaration was projected onto the center screen. Lelouch sighed. "It appears their target is the Philippines, it's to be designated as Area Ten. More than that, its likely to be used as the staging point for the invasion of Japan."

* * *

Having to keep up his schooling, spent most of his first year in Japan either training with Tohdoh or learning how to fluently speak Japanese. He managed to learn the basics rather quickly, in a month or so, though since there were no formal instructors, he was forced to look elsewhere for an education. Having constructed a false identity under the last name of Gottwald, much to Jeremiah's chagrin, he entered into a school that Robert Stadtfeld had recommended, it was where he was sending his own children.

One of the few mixed schools, since the large Britannian presence in Tokyo had allowed several international schools to be built, the Athena International School proved to be the top school in Japan for Britannians. It held lessons in Japanese as well as english to facilitate the need for the use of the native language in most businesses.

"Gottwald-san, please pay attention." the japanese language instructor, a man by the name of Kaname Ohgi, which brought Lelouch to recall that Ohgi had been a teacher prior to joining the resistance, he would never have guessed that Ohgi worked here, though it would explain Kallen's familiarity with him.

"Sorry, I was distracted." Lelouch replied in rather halting japanese, he was still mastering the language, one of the few things that didn't come easy to him was new languages. It didn't matter, his plans forced him to remain in Japan, so he should at least master the language he'd later adopt.

Ohgi returned to the basics of grammar without further comment. He seems really suited as a teacher, Lelouch mused. **A far better teacher than rebel leader.** Lelouch's eyes turned to Kallen, who was absently twirling a pencil in her hand, her foot tapping repeatedly on the floor. A bundle of energy that was hard to contain, Lelouch thought.

The class didn't last for much longer, and Lelouch found that Kallen was actually quite intelligent, which would explain how she passed when she was almost as absent as he was back in Ashford. He shook himself from his memories as he began chatting with her again, she was quite animate regarding some of the television shows in Japan, getting into the details rather deeply and explaining plots to Lelouch of shows she'd watched before.

It was nice to see her carefree, without the burden of being a rebel or her brother's death. That was another thing, James Stadtfeld, or Naoto as he was often called by Ohgi, was a rather kind individual. In many ways, he reminded Lelouch of himself. Protective of his sister, charismatic, and a great tactician. Often enough, a game of chess had ended with one of the few draws Lelouch had ever given that wasn't by Schneizel or Darlton.

"William. How are you finding your time in Japan?" Kallen asked, following the end of Ohgi's class. She looked mildly curious about him, then again, it wasn't everyday that someone from mainland Britannia up and left to come to Japan. "Are you enjoying it here?" she asked.

"I love it here, the people are hospitable enough and the weather is so much cooler than the capital." he said. He winced inwardly at his own deception, William Gottwald as the son of Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, it was much in the same way as Nunnally was now the daughter of one of his knights, to keep them out of public view and away from the emperor. He himself did not know where Nunnally was, to keep her safe was all that mattered, maybe he'd be reunited with her once his plan reached fruition, until then, she was safer in obscurity from even himself.

Their conversation went by rather quickly, and he gave a slight bow to excuse himself. After all, the daughter of a duke was higher ranked than that of a margrave, he smiled to himself. The invasion was halted, Japan and the EU were gearing up for the knightmare conflict, life was good.

* * *

The Britannian Eighth Fleet commanded by Prince Uriel Re Britannia was in the South China Sea, the lead ship was Uriel's personal command the HMS Endeavor. The invasion proclamation of Japan, soon to be Area Eleven, was about to be broadcasted and the emperor wanted his armies in Japan before sufficient resistance could be made.

"Five minutes to declaration. All carriers prepare to launch first strike bombers, targets will be relayed via tight beam codes when bombers are in the air." he said, rising from his command throne. "All submarines prepare for first volley, aim towards their battleships and heavy cruisers. Have the fifth fleet close in on the defense fleet's right flank."

The ships moved to obey, and the prince counted down as the synchronized timers across his fleet and other invasion forces began their final countdown.

Two minutes to the declaration, Britannia began jamming all Japanese communication lines and radio chatter fell silent on the other side of the field. The Japanese fleet seemed to realize what was happening as Uriel ordered the advance. Warnings were ignored as the main linear cannon on the Endeavor tore a massive hole into the hull of the Tokugawa, a battlecruiser that survived its tour during the first pacific war, just above the waterline.

A minute to the declaration, planes began warming up their engines as the submarines fired their first volley, sinking six of the now fourteen strong fleet. The retaliation was sporadic as minor damage to the Guardian and Valiant knocked out several point defense weapons. Another crack signaled the destruction of another vessel as the Endeavor fired again.

The flag of the Britannian empire was seen across all news and broadcasting channels, the emperor's voice filled each radio station as he spoke. "Japan. Your government has failed to meet the demands and respect the treaty of our two nations. My son, Lelouch vi Britannia, while on tour to the sakuradite convention and in the care of the prime minister, was murdered by your people in a bombing at the Kururugi shrine. His death will not slow the progress of Britannia, only the strong will survive. All Hail Britannia!" his voice boomed, his image of righteous fury holding Japan captive for a few more minutes as the broadcast ended.

Uriel's fleet sailed past the broken remains of the third defense fleet, the bombers had taken off and he confirmed each of their targets as they approached. "Kururugi Shrine, destroyed. Direct hit." the pilot confirmed. "Sorry, Lelouch. It's for our father." Uriel said, in a sort of prayer as he returned to his command throne to continue to relay instructions.

On October Ten, nearly two years after the scheduled invasion date was originally signed, Japan was under attack by the Britannian empire. That which is born from the ashes will fan the flames of hope for the future of mankind.

* * *

A/N:

Hello, hello. ZE here. And here's the latest chapter of Fate Reforged, hope you guys enjoyed. First thing's first, yes the invasion was delayed. Behind the scenes was a massive withdrawal of stocks from the knightmare sector which slowed the production of the Glasgow for the invasions that followed. The Philippines was forced to become Area Ten because it was a highly strategic location and it provided a staging point and base of power for the empire. Also, I realize there is no Uriel Re Britannia in canon, needless to say, I've fixed the number of royals around, I'll put it up as an extra some time when it becomes more relevant the same with the Knights of the Round and others.

Until Tomorrow Comes, ZE signing off.

* * *

Responses to Reviews:

ChunkyFunkyMonkey: Three reason. First is that there was no real way they could have met yet and it wouldn't really make sense. Second is that I see that pairing everywhere and wanted something a bit different. Third is that it helps Jeremiah in the purists (Where he'll likely be in this timeline but that would be telling ;) )

Worker72: You have no idea my good sir/madam. Rest assured that there's something interesting that I have planned for "Chucky" stay tuned and find out.

MM Browsing: Unfortunately, the incident with Lelia's real parents has already happened, she was six at the time and is roughly the same age as Lelouch. That and CC would have met her after the incident.

Everyone else tends to have the same notion, but most would either be spoilers or otherwise revealing plot. In that, you'll all just have to wait as the story unfolds, because the invasion is happening, and I don't think any of you want to miss it ;)


	6. Chapter 3: Out of the Frying Pan

_The invasion of Japan was one of the bloodiest conflicts in Britannia's recent history. Lelouch vi Britannia's intervention brought Japan the windfall it needed to resist, the technology to build the knightmare frame. Unfortunately, the plans reached heavy criticism and bureaucratic red tape that only a hundred frames of the Ashigaru knightmare were serviceable in time for the invasion. Each sported a heavy repeating cannon and a makeshift sword. They fared well against the Glasgow frame with their cannons having longer effective range than their Britannian M28 counterparts. Unfortunately, ammunition and fuel were in short supply and the Ashigaru were beaten back on every front. Nevertheless, the twenty-three frames deployed with Tohdoh provided the most total defeat of Britannia's forces since the beginning of its expansion. The Disaster of Robert's Atoll, otherwise known as the Miracle of Itsukushima to the beleaguered Japanese forces, let the world know that even Britannia was not invulnerable._

 _Area Eleven, Japan Unbowed_

 _UFN Publishing, 2044_

* * *

The world was awash in heat and sound, a thunderclap that struck like the hand of a god, Lelouch was thrown from his bed in the dark of night. He felt himself fly like a ragdoll, tossed away by a child with a tantrum as he flew back with the force of the missiles striking the compound. Then darkness, and the ringing sound as he dragged himself around the darkness that was the remains of his home for the past two years. He knew he could have stayed with Jeremiah, but to keep up the ruse of supplication, he remained with the Kururugi family. He was the reason the house was destroyed.

A weak cough and Lelouch dragged himself free from the rubble, thankfully he had been in one of the walkways, near an open space at the center of the house. He heard other sounds, voices and shouts. "Suzaku, hurry. We need to get out of here." Lelouch said. "Find food and water then we can make for the Ashford estate, its in Tokyo, about five days walk, but with all the fighting we'll be lucky if we get there in a week." he said, the brown haired boy seemed to be looking for something, but Lelouch wasn't paying much attention, searching what remained for weapons they could use.

"Suzuki!" Suzaku called, running among the debris, shouting a name. It only clicked with Lelouch now. Of course, his sister, just like I'd protect Nunnally, he thought. He had last seen her in her room, ten meters away from where he was reading the paper and the mobilization of Britannia's forces.

Lelouch ran to where her room was, the now familiar poster of some band or another was half charred on the ground. He sifted around the rubble and breathed a sigh of relief. Suzuki had hidden under the sturdy hardwood table, and aside from a few cuts and scrapes, and being a bit shellshocked, and possibly deafened, alright maybe she wasn't right as rain, Lelouch conceded. "Suzaku, I found her!" he called as the brown haired boy pushed past him and brought her into his embrace.

"Nii-san, I'm scared." she sobbed, clutching him as if she would fall without him, which at this point seemed likely. Suzaku stroked her hair and held her close, whispering to her that she'd be alright. "What happened?" she said finally after a hiccup.

"Britannian first strike bombers, which means invasion isn't far behind. They were after me." Lelouch shook his head. "Quickly, we need to find food and water. I'm sorry, but we need to leave here. Genbu was at work and your mother was out of the house, they should be fine. Suzaku, your father had his old weapon collection, we'll need those and any you can get off the guards here. Suzuki, we're in your room, do you know where the pantry is?" he asked, receiving a nod from her, he continued. "Look for backpacks, and put as much canned food and water in bottles or cans and bring them back here." he said as the two went to follow his orders.

He took out his penknife and flicked it open, carving words onto the table, he double checked it and stood to help Suzuki who was dragging along four backpacks. He shouldered one and took the offered pistol from Suzaku, an old revolver which for some reason still had bullets with it. If they all got out of this alive, he'd have words with the prime minister about keeping loaded guns on racks on display with bladed weapons and children, the latter of which would be running around.

Suzaku took a katana from the rack and for a moment, was about to hand Suzuki a shoto but thought better of it and tossed it to Lelouch who tied it to his belt. He took the larger of the two backpacks and slipped another katana into the space between his back and the backpack, hefting a pistol as well.

"I'm sorry." Lelouch said to the two as they stepped away from the property and into the forests at its edge, towards Tokyo. "This is my fault."

* * *

The first thing their group heard was gunfire, crying and shouting. Lelouch held up a hand and Suzuki obediently took the bags and hid in the bushes, taking one of the knives and gripping it as Suzaku instructed her.

Lelouch and Suzaku crept closer, mainly because to go around would lead to ruins they couldn't cross on foot due to craters caused by bombs or a Britannian convoy they couldn't sneak by. Lelouch held up three fingers, meaning three soldiers, pinched his thumb, index and middle finger meaning hostages, and two fingers meaning two hostages. After a moment, he raised one finger meaning one person, then crossing his index and middle, meaning there was a dead person.

The rather complex system utilized by the two was memorized in part by Suzuki at this point, to communicate silently was a godsend in this time and both Lelouch and Suzaku were glad to have been bored enough to create the system. In any event, Lelouch crept up the side, a knife held in reverse grip and pointed forward with the pistol in his right hand and above his other, much like he'd seen Britannian special forces utilize in their training. Suzaku held the katana in a two handed grip, the flat of the blade resting on his shoulder and raised for a thrust.

The first to engage the three soldiers was Lelouch, the thin blade of the shoto slipping easily in the older pattern of combat armor, between the plates at his chest and into his sternum, right at his heart. Suzaku followed suit, the blade flicking through the air and at the man's unprotected throat, silencing him as the pistol reported one shot and the lucky round pierced the man's eyepiece, pitching him backwards with a heavy thud.

Lelouch whistled once and Suzuki ran up from her hiding place, stiffening a bit at the sight of the dead soldiers before shaking her head and collecting what she could from their kits, first aid kits, canteens, and ammunition mostly. Suzaku knelt in front of the two former hostages, a girl roughly Lelouch and his own age, and a boy who looked only four or five at the most. "I'm sorry we couldn't save her." he said, nodding to the woman. "We're going to Tokyo, where my friend has shelter. He's a good Britannian, not like the soldiers." he said, pointing at Lelouch.

On the other hand, Lelouch had holstered the pistol and sheathed the knife, hefting the submachine gun each man carried before passing one to Suzaku. "Yes, yes. Now, I'm sorry, but we need to go." he said, looking over the rubble where another patrol was crossing the edge of the rubble. He raised four fingers this time around and made a fist, meaning four soldiers and a danger to them. "Squad automatic weapon. We won't beat them, we need to go."

The girl looked at the boy and said something quickly, the boy nodded. "Okay." she said shakily. "We'll go with you. I'm Kosaka Chihiro, and this is my brother, Kenta."

* * *

The stop towards the evening and the second night was thankfully uneventful, the first had a heavily inebriated Britannian soldier stumbling into their camp, a school that stood in a small village provided their cover for the night. The night was calm and so Lelouch directed the others to set up. "Suzaku, go get a fire going. Chihiro, check around the school for supplies. The usual, food, water, medicine, but keep within a two minute walking distance. Suzuki, the gyms should have towels, we'll need them for blankets. Kenta, you're with me. We're going to keep watch."

Chihiro nodded as Suzaku brought out a hatchet and went to hack several chairs apart. Thankfully the floor was cement and by the looks of things, the water wasn't flowing anymore, and no electricity for the smoke detectors. Lelouch had taken to wearing a hoodie to hide his obvious Britannian features, having fought off homicidal Japanese as well as the usual Britannian soldier.

The soft steps that Chihiro made sounded loud in the darkness of the school, the empty pack she was carrying was half full, having taken medicine from the nurse's office and water from the dispensers to fill the canteens. "Hands up!" someone called from in front of her, followed by the now familiar sound of a gun being cocked. The voice was in Japanese, so she didn't know whether to be afraid or thankful.

Nevertheless, she raised her hands, and a young man, likely in his teens stood in front of her, a britannian rifle in his hands. "What're you doing here?" he demanded.

"I'm Chihiro, my friends and I are sheltering here for the night." she responded. He looked like one of those thug type students. He was still wearing a uniform with the sleeves rolled up and a bandana on his head to keep his spiky brown hair from his eyes.

He seemed to scoff at this, "Come with me." he said, getting behind her and pushing her forward. He led her right past the offices she visited, how he had gotten behind her, she never knew.

They emerged in one of the auditorium halls, and it was mostly filled with children and several more teens and adults, each carried a weapon that was either appropriated from dead soldiers or looked like they should be in a museum. "Tamaki, the hell are you doing? Put that gun down, now." another shouted at the one who was leading Chihiro. "Did he scare you?" Chihiro shook her head. "It's okay, I'm scared of him too, look at his face." he whispered, making Chihiro laugh. "I'm Naoto, Naoto Kozuki. You're not one of our group. Where are you from?"

"I'm from one of the outer towns. Can I get back to them now?" she asked.

"I'll go with her." Naoto said, glaring at Tamaki who shrugged and went into the auditorium.

The walk back was relatively uneventful, "We're attacked every few days, we haven't lost anyone yet, thankfully, but its hard surviving on what we can get from the soldiers and the pantry." he admitted. "Wish we could leave, but we'd never make it to the port with all these people." At that point, the room they were using opened and Lelouch appeared in his tattered cloak and raised his gun.

"Alright, drop the gun and release the girl." Lelouch said in english. Naoto frowned, but a look of recognition crossed his face. "Stadtfeld? What are you doing here?"

"Gottwald? William Gottwald? I could say the same." Naoto replied defensively.

Lelouch grimaced, right, he'd used his false name to enter the school, Naoto probably hadn't seen him outside their video conference chess matches, and even then it was through voice chat only. "Lelouch, what's with all the shouting?" Suzaku called, appearing with his katana in hand.

"Lelouch? As in, Vi Britannia? Killed by terrorists to start a war Lelouch Vi Britannia?" Naoto asked with both wonder and anger, glaring at Lelouch.

"Right. This is awkward." Lelouch grimaced at how much of an idiot Suzaku had just been, but to be fair, he'd never told Suzaku about his false identity. "Naoto James Kozuki Stadtfeld. I am Lelouch Vi Britannia. My family are the murdering psychopaths driven by greed and the lust for power known as the royal family of the empire, my dad tried to murder me to start a war and it seems that everyone believes it. Nice to meet you."

* * *

Contest: The Royal Family aka The Rabbit's Extended Family (Seriously, if Nunnally is 80something in line to the throne, Charlie has really been busy / has that many wives / or combination thereof. I'm going to be using a good number of royals around in the next few portions of the story and future additions to the Fate Reforged timeline.

I need fancy british sounding names, a name generator, and syllables like El, Vi, Li, La, that you people find fancy. They are royalty after all. Cheers! (I'm thinking twenty wives (Politics and such) and 2-5 kids each)

* * *

A/N:

And so the invasion begins, this will be the first of three chapters regarding the invasion prior to Britannian victory. No major battles save for possibly an omake next or on the last chapter but it won't have Lelouch, it's Tohdoh's miracle. Anyway, I must apologize but everyone be on the lookout for user "Doom Marine 54" I might have offended him at some point but I think he's just a troll. In any case, hope you enjoyed this latest update, I'll get back to you all soon.

Until Tomorrow Comes, ZE signing off.


	7. Chapter 4: Flight and Safety

_The day Lelouch Vi Britannia died, three events occurred at once that were not immediately tied with him. Only now in hindsight did anything seem to add up. First was the second economic crash orchestrated under several accounts belonging to the late Empress Marianne Vi Britannia. The second was a resurgence in Marianne's Ghost on several websites belonging to the government, it was later found out that Lelouch Vi Britannia did indeed orchestrate this via limiting equipment installed in the Kururugi Shrine, to be activated upon the equipment's destruction. Third was the rise of the Hyperion Corporation by the Gottwald, Stadtfeld, and Ashford families following the invasion, none could see the unique bond the three families had, again the Vi Britannia line. I want the reports on my desk by next wednesday using one of the three events._

 _Excerpt from Professor Thomas Hackett's lecture on Lelouch Vi Britannia, 2064_

 _New Pendragon University_

* * *

Lelouch's group left the school and Naoto's group, the teenagers had been there originally as a class field trip, and brought along those who wanted to follow them despite Ohgi's disapproval. The group eventually voted and decided to follow Lelouch's group, a map had been laid and in groups of five as Lelouch had done, they would travel across the countryside in short hops. Each team was given a simple diagram of images that Lelouch would use to inform passing groups regarding their whereabouts and what the next area was like and for others to add to should something else arise.

The map that contained their path was painstakingly photocopied, since a small but loud generator still existed and was deemed necessary to, after Lelouch marked down suitable areas from a map recovered from a Britannian patrol group. Skirting major and minor Britannian presence in the area, the originally two day trip would now take five. Some remaining locals gave their knowledge of the terrain and points appeared on the map one after the other, and should one play connect the dots, would discover that it led in a crooked line to Tokyo and Ashford estate.

"I don't expect you to trust me entirely as I myself am Britannian." Lelouch said in careful, respectful japanese. "I cannot promise you'll all make it out, but if you follow the route and wait an hour before continuing at each point, you'll make it there. I promise to save as many of you as I can. We will stop as it gets dark, mark for seven at night, then we'll continue by seven in the morning."

After Lelouch's short speech, Lelouch's group was first to disappear into dawn. Each stop was a relatively small space, either an abandoned shed dictated by locals or subway stops, entrances, and the like. The first three hours passed by in relative silence, and thankfully everything went to plan to Lelouch's knowledge. The fourth brought a patrol of Britannian soldiers too close for Lelouch's comfort, and they literally held their breath as the soldiers passed by two feet in front of them.

"We'll stop here for the night," Lelouch declared as they camped out inside a subway station. "Get rest, I'll set up the carvings. Suzaku, take first watch." he said as he crouched to get to a visible bench and began to report. No trouble, subway safe, quickened pace, only two days more, day trek through forest to camp location H7 or around as normal but four days.

Satisfied with his report, Lelouch went to sleep where Kenta and Suzuki were already asleep, Chihiro was glancing at Suzaku but otherwise remained silent and smiled when Lelouch approached. "Get some sleep, Chihiro. We have a long trek ahead of us."

Suzaku crouched down near them, "Four people entered, Japanese, not Naoto's group. We should help them." he said, but his last sentence was a statement and not a question.

"We barely have enough food to last us two days, how do you expect us to feed four more people." Lelouch hissed as the men appeared behind Suzaku. "You didn't even wait for me to say anything." he exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

The lead man was the very definition of shady, his stubble was thick and his mouth was turned up in a sneer. He carried around a gun no doubt taken from a dead soldier and had a cap on his head. His three friends were in the same shape, all bulky, tall, and far larger than Lelouch or Suzaku. "Name's Shu, your friend here says you have food."

"I'm William, yes, we're on our way t~" he began but the man growled in response.

"Piss on that, where is the food?" he growled, waving his gun around. Lelouch noted idly that it was on safety, as were the guns on his cronies. "Haven't eaten in four days, where is it you Brit brat?" he asked, earning chuckles from his followers.

Lelouch glared at Suzaku with a look that screamed 'This is not over.' He packed the oldest food they had, stale bread from day one and some fruit, in a plastic and handed it to the other group. The men laughed and sat down by the fire, Lelouch grimaced, they were being too loud, it couldn't be. "They're drunk." Chihiro noted, sitting up beside Lelouch as the four men tore into the bread with more gusto than should be.

"They'll call every Britannian patrol within half a mile to them. We need to leave. Now. Grab the bags, we're heading out." Lelouch said. Suzaku looked ready to protest, but Lelouch glared at him making Suzaku think twice thankfully. It appears that the honorable mentality the older Suzaku had wasn't fully ingrained into him yet. He still hadn't killed his father after all.

They managed to exit silently without the men noticing and Lelouch drew a crude eye with a piece of white chalk which meant that the area was not safe, be on the lookout if you need to rest. The group of four ran to the corner just in time, a Britannian APC pulled up and a squad of men exited and prepared to enter, and even here, Lelouch could hear the four. "We need to move, now." Lelouch said.

The sound of gunfire hid their footsteps as they made for Tokyo's underground.

* * *

The Britannian area of Tokyo was largely undamaged by the bombings of the outer cities, and the Kingsly family was one of the first to register for the Area Eleven Settlement project. "Yes, Ser Philip, your applications have gone through along with your wife and daughters. The passports and forms should be available in a few hours, enjoy your stay at the Britannian Embassy." the concierge said. "You will be staying with the Ashford family for the time being until the construction of the Settlement can begin."

Philip nodded, "Beatrice, please fetch the girls. We're going to see an old friend." he said, rising as he moved to bring their bags to where the Ashford family's car was waiting. Having lived in the heart of Tokyo, they didn't have much time to pack when the bombs began falling and riots began. A few duffel bags of clothes and the laptop that Lelouch had given him prior to their departure with instructions to never let it out of his sight. A knight always followed the orders of their master.

"Good day, my lord." a japanese woman in a maid outfit bowed, "My employer has been expecting you." she said, opening the door and the trunk. Her hair was short to her chin and a dark brown in color, a simple white cap sat on her head. Her eyes, Philip decided, held hidden steel, despite being a soft brown in color.

"You must be Sayoko, Ruben's told me a bit about you." he said, but raised an eyebrow when she effortlessly took one of the large duffel bags and put it into the trunk. "Just not that you were secretly a body builder." he jested, making her smile.

"Even I keep some secrets, sir Philip." she said, putting the rest of the bags into the trunk and closed it easily as Alice and Erica climbed into the car, followed by Beatrice. "The Ashford estate is about an hour away, make yourselves comfortable." she said and took the front seat as the car pulled away.

The ride through the Britannian area of Tokyo was uneventful to say the least, it seemed sterile by comparison to the suburbs Erica was used to in Tokyo. She missed the small home, simple yet it held all the comforts she could have asked for, her time as a princess but a distant memory. Alice had grown in the two years, and she realized that nothing would ever be the same again, as the distant sounds of explosions and the roar of aircraft disappeared behind her.

No sign of the war was anywhere, for the streets were clean and paved, and the citizens within the border seemed to go about their business as if nothing was happening just beyond the walls of the settlement. The buildings came up quickly, nobody realized that Britannia was slowly taking over until it happened. The core of the settlement was established long before, and it was these towering buildings that many of the people lived in, for most of the settlement was still being constructed offsite. The wonder of Britannia, Erica thought glumly, erasing what was into a more Britannian look.

Britannian technology allowed most of the settlement to be powered by solar energy, the massive pillars already constructed provided energy for the few operations already open in the settlement. However, to Erica, the settlement was a death trap, if even one person recognized her, impossible according to Philip and Jeremiah, the latter of which was genuinely curious about where Philip had hid his second child until the former explained the situation.

The interim governor was Alexander Eu Britannia and if Erica recalled correctly, was her half brother Odysseus's little brother. Then again, there were so many of her half siblings around Pendragon, she didn't keep track any more. Shaking her head, she watched Alice as her older sister still looked out with wonder at the settlement.  
The Ashford estate was one of the more complete structures, standing above several levels of the settlement's complete central block, with the skeleton of what looked like a school beginning to take shape around it. The car pulled up to the entrance and Sayoko stepped out and opened the door. Despite herself, Erica looked around with wonder. Personally, she hated the deception she had to show the Ashfords, but with her brother dead . . . she certainly hoped they were wrong, she had to be safe.

The inside was rather simple, the floor was carpeted and the walls paneled with dark wood, the first large room the group came to was a sitting room, where a blonde girl had her nose buried in a book and an elderly man watched her from across the table. At the sound of feet hitting floor, the man turned. "Philip, you're looking well."

"As well as can be, everything considered." Philip replied evenly, giving Ruben a firm handshake. "My wife, Beatrice." he said as she walked up to Ruben and curtseyed. "My daughters, Alice and Erica." Philip added, the two stepping closer. Alice's curtsey was unrefined and she stumbled to correct herself. Erica's, or rather Nunnally's, was careful and controlled, evidently, not everything she had learned could be quickly unlearned.

If Ruben noticed, he said nothing, but gave a small laugh and a hand to steady Alice who flushed at her clumsiness. Milly slid off the couch and replaced the book on the stack before her. "Wanna go out to the gardens?" she asked brightly. A raised eyebrow from Ruben was all the two needed and they followed Milly from the room.

"She looks just like her mother." Ruben said after awhile. Philip looked at the elderly man with surprise and the head of the Ashford family smiled. "You can't hide those features from someone who's seen Marianne the Flash in her childhood. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her."

* * *

Omake: The Miracle of Itsukushima

Tohdoh sat in his Ashigaru frame at the foot of the hill, the pincer attack had worked against the glasgow forces of Prince Joshua El Britannia, but it was not enough since the prince himself survived. He had to admit, the plans for the anti-knightmare hammers provided by their anonymous benefactor along with the plans for the Ashigaru worked wonders against knightmares. He recalled Senba earning the nickname Divine Thunder for something during the battle that involved thworing an anti-knightmare hammer and saying something about Mjolnir. Shaking his head, he checked and rechecked the battle maps. Iwo Jima was being held by Chiba and Urabe while Asahina was still out of commission when his Ashigaru ejected him into the ground.

The communication line signaled a report and the voice of one of the radio operators radioed in. "Colonel Tohdoh, Britannian forces have been sighted along the ridge on point R Twelve, Sergeant Izumi and Hasegawa have radioed in, twenty-six glasgows and seven platoons of soldiers, their commander appears to be Captain Bradford judging by the decorations of the pauldrons."

"Copy that." he said, "It's time to show these arrogant Britannians that they cannot simply brush us aside, Captain Miyamoto, take your Ashigaru squad to the lower ridge and fire the slash harkens at the cliff face, once the landslide occurs, we'll have our window."

The remaining fourteen Ashigaru frames under Tohdoh's command moved to setup their line as rocket launcher bearing infantry took position in the trenches. "We'll show them the Japanese spirit. Nippon Banzai!" he roared, the Ashigaru magnifying his rallying cry as the Ashigaru loosed their first volley into the Britannians and the landslide cut off their path of retreat.

* * *

A/N: And so the invasion begins in earnest, and Lelouch has shown he isn't to be crossed and Erica/Nunnally is still safe and sound. How much longer will that last? Who can say. Meanwhile, thank you for all the name ideas, I've actually given Charles fifty-six legitimate children and seventeen wives in addition to the hundred or so consorts he has. Thank you especially to ScarletRoofs for the names and for helping with arranging the matronymics (Thank you mysterious Guest)

As people keep asking, I might as well answer. Sayoko hasn't appeared yet (Until now) and Jeremiah and Monica had a lot in common, having served for a good number of years together and have obviously grown close. Why they got married was originally a plan by Lelouch, but the two went past the wedding being a sham and made it work though Gottwald still has an unrequited crush on Empress Marianne. In any event, they're married and as happy as can be with Lelouch and Nunnally both "dead".

Until Tomorrow Comes, ZE signing off.


	8. Interlude: Laying the Foundation

_In other news, the death of Lelouch Vi Britannia has brought forth new waves of opposition from the anti-nobility groups as its "Peasant Prince" is silenced by the "Capitalist Pigs". Founder and leader of the popular movement known as Power to the People, Jeffrey Kingston, is reported to have held a press conference following the death of Prince Lelouch. "The death of Prince Lelouch should not just be another casualty." is he latest quote from the PtP movement. Meanwhile, popular singer Penelope Eu Britannia released her new single Starfall, the princess was unable for comment however as she remained in mourning over her recently deceased sibling. Further details on both stories can be found on our website._

 _BNN News, 2014_

 _Pendragon Press_

* * *

The last thing Erica Kingsly expected to see was her brother and four japanese kids at the head of the group of refugees with guns and swords, like something out of a movie. She was overjoyed to see him, but one look from him made her remember her promise, that until they were safe, they would have to be strangers. So she carefully constructed a mask, a persona of a stranger. "Excuse me. This is the Ashford Estate, what are you all doing here?" she asked.

"I am William Gottwald, my father is Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. I'm here to call a favor from the master of this house, could you call him miss~?" he said, waiting for a reply, since technically neither knew the other's name.

"I apologize, my lord. I'm Erica, Erica Kingsly. Lord Ashford's in bed, I'll send someone to wake him up." Erica replied, closing the door behind her, a smile crossing her face as she ran up to find her father. He happened to be close, sitting in the living room reading with Milly. She cleared her throat, "Father, I need to speak with you." she said. Philip raised an eyebrow but stood, looking at the absolutely ecstatic face of his daughter/princess.

"Who's the lucky boy?" he asked, probably misreading her reaction. Grinning at the screwed up face Erica gave and the 'eww' sound she made. "Only joking, but what's got you so happy tonight?"

"He's alive." she said quietly.

"I'll inform Lord Ashford, you get the people into the clubhouse, the key's in the entrance hall on the table." he said, closing the book and running upstairs. Milly gave Erica an odd look but decided to follow her and made the expected reaction of wide eyes at the crowd of almost fifty people at the door. "Have your group follow me, Lord Ashford will be down. You'll be in the clubhouse for the meantime." she said and the word was spread through the sea of people that all began to chatter excitedly at the prospect of safety.

She unlocked the double doors to the clubhouse and she and Milly pushed open the doors to admit the crowd in. To be honest to herself, she did not expect to see the clubhouse full of refugees. She had busied herself with bringing food and water with Alice and Milly to them, though neither of them knew much in the way of the language, the expressions and tone were enough for both of them to know that it was appreciated. The leader of the other group was the red haired teenager, and Erica had to admit, he was kind of cute. He had to be a mixed blood, clearly Britannian but with the softer Japanese features. He gave off the calm sense of leadership that her brother did.

She hurried back to get more water from the house, and glanced back one last time as her brother and several others sat at a table and began to talk. If anything, Nunnally was glad that her brother was back and alive.

* * *

Lelouch watched as Nunnally left and he suppressed the urge to call out for her as he turned his attention to the rest of the people around him. "The first thing you should all know is that my name is not William Gottwald, but Lelouch Vi Britannia." he said, and several murmurs, angry and surprised, came from around the room. "I'm no longer a prince of the empire, I expect when the bomb dropped on the Kururugi Shrine not a week ago, it meant that I would die and there's a saying in the black market. That the best way to avoid Britannian assassins that want you dead is to be dead."

Naoto was the first to speak. "You never came across as the princely type during our chess matches." Naoto remarked with a grin. "I don't really care what you are, but can you betray your own country? Your father is the leader."

"Don't lump me together with that man!" Lelouch snapped, making Naoto wince and several of the others to jump in their seats at the rage buried under Lelouch's tone. "I am nothing like him. People are not pieces on a chess board to be sacrificed for one's own gain." he said through gritted teeth.

"That's easy enough to say, but you're still nobility, you can go home anytime you want when the going gets tough. It won't be too hard for you to get out if you need to." accused another. "You've got family in Britannia, you don't need to be here."

"Family." Lelouch scoffed, standing up. "The only family I recognize is dead. My mother was murdered, and my sister doesn't even have a grave." he said coldly. "They were both killed by those who swore loyalty to our empire, who were supposed to embody its ideals of chivalry and honor and swore to protect the imperial family from harm. No, I am dead to them, and they to me."

The rest of the assembled group was silent for a time, and Tamaki was the first to speak. "This is bullshit, I'm out." he said, standing and walking away. Another went with him, leaving only three others. Naoto Kozuki, Kaname Ohgi, and another by the name of Nenji Saito.

Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief as he continued. "How would you all like jobs when this is all over?" he asked.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry its short everyone, not my usual but something's come up and I've cut this chapter short. This is the end of the Fate Reforged Prologue and we'll be kicking off the story next chapter that I'll be posting shortly as well. Sorry if it isn't one of my best, but just needed to show a few things here. The next few chapters will be how Japan's changed and everyone will finally understand the face of Lelouch's rebellion, Hyperion. In any event, sorry again for the short chapter, I'll make it up in the next installment. The next chapter will be a time skip to their "present day"

Until Tomorrow Comes, ZE out.


	9. Chapter 5: The Beginning of the End

_Beneath the veil of starry skies, so cold and distant like winter light. There you sleep, silent and deep, you're all alone. I sing this prayer, a melody, across the fields of shining lights. The lights that begin to shine, that shine on and on. I watched you as you dreamed, so peaceful, like a child you laughed happy and carefree. It seems familiar yet as distant as the stars in the sky, a promise in heaven forgotten and remembered. To the skies I will sing, for you and for me, under this bright starfall._

 _Penelope Eu Britannia, Starfall_

 _Britannian National Studios, 2014_

* * *

Lelouch, or now known as William Gottwald, sat in the underground base used by Hyperion as the center of operations of his paramilitary organization, which he named the Black Knights. Thinking things over because it put into perspective several things that could have been done differently like having actual methods of getting CC's capsule otherwise known as poison gas away safely.

He found it a lot easier to manage the group thanks to Naoto, another natural leader and one much more suited for the resistance than Ohgi who had agreed to a teaching job at Ashford's elementary school division. One thing he found good about Hyperion was that many of the rebellion's original members had found a better calling in the civilian sectors as it was one of the few that employed non-Britannians and had better living standards than the Number population.

Perhaps it just angered fellow Britannian businessmen but Lelouch found that treating the workers, otherwise known as the Japanese, fairly he could gain a higher profit margin. He had told Clovis, as William Gottwald of course, that willing servants are always better than resentful slaves. That was probably the reason why Clovis was so forward and helpful with the Honorary system's installation. He hadn't known it was Lelouch anyway, the black hair everyone was so familiar with was now the turquoise of Jeremiah and his eyes were the same blue as Monica's. He may have looked like a prince, but then again he was nobility in this case.

Lelouch decided it was strange, but that didn't stop him from subverting all the rebel groups and taking their best members into Hyperion's military division. He dubbed their group as Legion. One of the first true organized military that drew from the common man and made their profession as soldiers instead of farmers with swords.

Earl Asplund and Rakshatta had done exceedingly well for him, in the time it took Britannia to develop the Sutherland and its Gloucester cousin from the Glasgow, the combined knowledge of the quantum engineering major and prodigy scientist worked their magic. Knightmare frame Liberator, similar in function to the developing Alexander frame in the EU, variable frame, much more compact that its more of a suit than a vehicle, making it infinitely easier to carry around than the Glasgow they would have otherwise used as their muscle.

He supposed having the Ashford group and the Stadtfeld name at his back also gave him access to the necessary permits to have his own private army hiding as a security force that nobody hired as they were almost completely numbers or non-Britannian.

Cut off from his musing as Naoto approached, "You sure this is gonna work, boss?" he asked, hefting an assault rifle "Feels like we're over prepared though. I feel like I could have gone out drinking more."

Lelouch smirked, despite their similarities in tactical brilliance, Naoto had always been more flippant than he was. It was a common occurrence that Kallen would call him in the middle of the night that Naoto had come home drunk. "You came in drunk this morning. Where were you anyway?"

"Tamaki called, said he wanted to catch up." he said, grimacing at Lelouch's reaction to his name. "He still doesn't like you. Tried to get me to join up with him in the Blood of the Samurai, said the name Legion wasn't cool. Though it is pretty cool that we get to wear our uniforms out in public."

Shaking his head, Lelouch checked his watch. "Five minutes to drop. Liberator team Saber do you copy?" he asked, looking at the screens and where Suzaku was currently in conversation with the two pilots he was to sortie with should anything go wrong.

"I'm just saying this is a bad idea." Naoto remarked. "Why are we stealing poison gas from your unstable half brother who'd rather pull Tokyo Fireball than see whatever he's doing in the hands of terrorists or at the very least someone that should technically be dead." he grinned and looked at Lelouch.

"Don't jinx us." Lelouch agreed, before getting into the delivery van they had appropriated for the heist, complete with papers, pass cards and all documents in triplicate. Again, Lelouch was paranoid, but he had a healthy respect for Murphy. "Wait." Lelouch stopped. "Exactly how much did you drink last night?"

* * *

Suzaku was sitting around in the moving van parked at the intersection near the construction site. His Liberator was on its arming rack behind him, he had to admit, they moved better than the old Glasgow simulators ever did, though Kallen could make that machine dance when she wanted to.

His two fellow pilots, Akira and Kasumi were by their own frames. Suzaku chuckled as he caught Akira stealing glances at the only female member of their team. Though Suzaku did silently thank and curse whoever designed the pilot suits. Skintight and easy to move in, it left little to the imagination, though most of the pilots elected to wear loose clothing prior to battle. This was not one of the times, and Suzaku watched as Akira tried and failed to stop himself from staring at her.

For the year Suzaku knew the duo, he was sure Akira had a crush on Kasumi. She was a nice enough person, once you got over her cold attitude and how she seemed to hate everything Akira did. In the end, it didn't matter, he figured that once everything calmed down, they'd make it work somehow. At least that's what Chihiro thought.

His cellphone rang and Suzaku shook his head. "Speak of the devil." he chuckled. The caller was Chihiro, as he'd expected. "Aren't you at work?" he opened, grinning when her voice came through.

"I missed you too, Suzuki's been asking for you. Told her you were busy and you'd call. Gave up after thirty minutes of her pestering." Suzaku nodded at this, his sister had an annoying streak that only got worse as she got older, usually every month. He never understood girls, but he knew Chihiro always pampered Suzuki and Kenta when she could.

"I'll talk to her when we're done here. How's everything in Demeter? I hear you were promoted by Kallen." he said, but Akira called his attention with a shout that something was wrong. "I'll talk to you later. I need to go."

Whatever Chihiro was going to say was stopped as Suzaku disconnected and jumped into the three meter tall mech. He engaged and ran the startup as the helmet folded down and covered his face and toggled down the restraints of the machine to work at maximum output. Asplund put it as, since nobody could think of themselves as superhuman they couldn't use the machine to its maximum potential. Suzaku figured that since he had the coordination to spin kick someone from across the room, Chihiro's words, he could pilot a machine to its limits.

"Saber squad, ready for deployment." he radioed in. "There appears to be a commotion from the target area. Blood of the Samurai have entered the facility." he said and heard Lelouch curse that would have Chihiro or Kallen reprimand him and wash his mouth with soap.

"This is Captain Red," Suzaku heard Naoto's voice over the comms. "Target is a large container van. Beware, the van has a container of poison gas labeled Code R. Authorization Two, no collateral and engage with harkens, rifles, and blades only."

"Copy that Red, White Saber out." Suzaku responded. He relayed the orders to his team and pushed the button for Striker configuration that loaded the heavy monomollecular edged blade and assault rifle that he clamped to his back. Akira and Kasumi stepped free with their own swords and guns in hand. The Liberators stood roughly three-fourths as tall as a Glasgow or Sutherland, and it was all hushed up so the pursuing knightmares would be in for a surprise. "Saber leader to drivers, once we deploy, get out of here." he said and the voice over the comms responded with a simple affirmation before Suzaku ordered radio silence.

They didn't have to wait long, an armored car appeared and a burst of fire from the back meant the Blood of the Samurai were being pursued. Suzaku motioned and transmitted the launch codes to propel the three machines as the truck started driving beside and behind the armored car. He counted down the seconds to battle.

If one was watching from above, each of the remaining seconds spoken by Suzaku was another step to the vertical launch of the three machines. Five. The hatches folded inwards and downwards, vertical shafts of light bathing the arming racks as the Liberators stepped into them again. Four. The racks' internal arms retracted and floor elevated to reveal the heads of the machines. Three, a larger portion spiraled open and the machines lifted out further. Two. The machines all engaged their limbs muscle strands and bent to prepare for launch. One. Together, the Liberators sprung free from their housing and dropped onto the street.

The three Liberators sprung into action, Suzaku and Kasumi raised their rifles and set them to airburst, firing a stream of low yield explosives that detonated upon reaching the vehicles, sending five to the streets in flames. The sand panels Lelouch preferred to use went into action and the Liberators glided across the pavement as they dispersed as the return fire chewed up the pavement.

A quick second burst sent another two down in flames as the first of the Sutherlands appeared. From around a corner, a trio of rifle bearing Sutherlands appeared. "I'll hold them off, Kasumi. Get to Akira and finish the mission." Suzaku ordered, the other Liberator nodded and raced off to follow Akira as he went for the getaway vehicle.

The funny thing about the factsphere is that it takes roughly five seconds to get a detailed read on whatever they were facing. They were also incredibly bulky, so a heads-up display simply showed the ammunition count and status of the Liberator suit. The world was also tinted green meaning Suzaku was still fine physically and the suit was at top capability. He launched himself, gliding around the rifle fire and drew the mono blade. A burst of rifle fire met him and he dodged to the side and under a stream of fire as he sliced the leg off the first attacker, sending it to the ground as his return strike severed its assault rifle in two.

The other two knightmares kept their distance and fired at Suzaku once their companion ejected. The sword cut through the stun tonfa . . . Suzaku didn't really know why they were called that, they were giant pieces of metal with the means to crush and pulp anything not its size. "The first enemy you fight and haven't blitzed or outclassed and you're brought to a halt." he said, voice distorted through the machine's speakers. "Poor show." he said as he bisected the next machine and causing the machine to eject its occupant.

The final machine made a hasty retreat as Suzaku severed its arms and rifle. Suzaku quickly sheathed the sword and sent a burst of fire at the remaining gunships before retreating with the rest of his squad, chasing the runaway armored car.

* * *

A/N:

Hello again, and here's the latest installment of Fate Reforged. The story's begun in earnest and everything's going to start from here. Yes, I realize that having pseudo-power armor is a bit over the top, but when you have the father of the one who invented the Lancelot and the creator of the Guren and radiant wave technology, anything's possible. It's just a scaled down knightmare, think of it as a Vincent that's about three-fourths its size, less armor and armament, but more agile.

Also, OCs needed, pilots once more for Legion. I probably won't be able to put exposition, so here's what Hyperion is. It's basically a multinational organization based in Area Eleven but has footholds in the Chinese Federation and the EU, the latter because of the Malcal family and the former because economic magic and deals on Lelouch's part. It is divided into four different sections. Each is separate from the other and only Lelouch knows the actions of all divisions at any given time.

The Legion division is led by Naoto who is essentially Lelouch's second-in-command for this universe's Black Knights. The rest of the world believes that they are simply private security, trained guards and soldiers, but Lelouch has them arming for war.

The next is the Demeter division, their public services face. Kallen heads this section since the rest of the group is more combat oriented anyway and are part of Legion. They focus on public works and healthcare. They're one of the only groups that help the Eleven population.

Third is Athena, dedicated to education, and led by Ruben Ashford. Unlike the canon, Ashford Academy has two branches, one in the EU and one in Japan. They are Ashford University and Ashford Academy. The one in the EU only caters to college and university level students while the one in Japan caters to elementary, middle, and high school as well as college education.

Last is the Vulcan division that is a front for the scientists Lelouch has in his camp. They provide various technologies such as phones and various household appliances, anything not related to military technology. This is a front as Rakshatta, Earl Asplund senior, and other scientists work on various projects at Lelouch's request.

Until Tomorrow Comes, ZE out.


	10. Chapter 6: Capturing the Code

_The Ghetto 11-C incident, better known as the Shinjuku Purge was one of the most major military disasters preceding the Rise. The events that would follow would usher in a time of great turmoil and strife that would let our glorious leader rise to power in Britannia. The appearance of the masked villain Zero that followed would pave the way to His ascension to the throne. In the time of strife, it was here that the reign of the True Emperor would begin to take shape._

 _On the Rise of the Empire, The Beginning of Neo-Britannia_

 _Imperial Truth Press, 2046_

* * *

Suzaku didn't know what happened, one minute he was in his Liberator chasing after an armoured car in the underground with Akira and Kasumi at his side, the next had him self-destructing the Liberator due in no small part to it being rendered damaged by a chaos grenade thrown by some Sutherland. He was just glad he was still alive and made sure no part of the Liberator existed for them to study by detonating the sakuradite battery.

Thusly stranded, with no idea where Akira and Kasumi had sped off to, the armoured car near him, Suzaku shook his head. "Karma's a mean mistress." he grinned as he depressed the detonator after extracting himself and a rifle from the machine, donning a hoodie, silently thanking Lelouch for his unbelievable paranoia.

The armoured car was a wreck, and he could make out two people arguing in the darkness. He also noted with some degree of concern that a third was sprawled on the ground, unmoving and likely dead. He snuck around, unwilling to get tangled with them, to where he found the container. What they were planning was beyond Suzaku, they'd get the gas canister, but with no way to secure it, they left themselves at the mercy of the 'what if Britannia has a remote detonator' scenario.

In any event, Suzaku pulled the wireless uplink as he heard gunfire in the tunnels and inserted it into the control panel. Suzaku turned just as he saw one of the terrorists pitch back with bullets riddling his chest. He shouldered his rifle and peered out, seven no twelve, the prince's royal guard. Suzaku cursed his luck and hunkered down as the guards made their way close.

The control panel clicked once and the transmitter beeped as the technician on the other end disarmed the device and Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief. At least until the canister decided to open and Suzaku nearly had a heart attack. He jumped out of the way and hid behind a wrecked portion of the car, covering his mouth and nose. Though the gas could probably enter through his eyes, ears and skin, he didn't think about that right at the moment.

One thing that registered was that neither he nor the royal guard were quite rolling about the ground clutching their heads in agony. He briefly thought he had died and went to heaven, for a woman with green hair appeared from the capsule. Then again, Gottwald had natural blue hair so it probably wasn't too far off to think someone had green. "Then again, Jeremiah's hair wasn't neon." He said absently to himself.

The royal guard got over their initial fear or hesitation and moved in. Suzaku depressed the trigger and automatic fire hosed down three of the men before the rest scattered. Suzaku dragged the woman as she stumbled out of the case, nothing about a green haired woman in a straightjacket in the report, he thought to himself. "Surrender, Eleven scum!" he heard the Britannian shout in english.

Suzaku fired again but grimaced as the rifle clicked empty and a fourth body hit the ground. Great, he thought, out of ammo, with a civilian against eight soldiers. He sighed, patting one of the dead terrorists for anything.

A switchblade came free off him as well as a pistol that Suzaku noted was half empty. The woman looked at him oddly, clearly she wasn't too surprised at having been freed but was wondering where she was at the moment. "Do you want to live?" she asked as the royal guard advanced and Suzaku managed to hit a fifth with three of the remaining six shots and the rest dove for cover as the remaining shots whizzed past them before discarding the now useless pistol.

"Who are you?" Suzaku asked, tossing one of the shoes the terrorist wore at the men. In the darkness, perhaps it seemed like a grenade and the royal guardsmen dove for cover. "Why were you inside the poison gas container?" he asked as the royal guard began firing once more.

"A witch." She said coyly, smirking at Suzaku's narrowed eyes. "That's a story for another time. You didn't answer. Do you want to live?" she asked, and at that moment, a bullet penetrated the armoured car and a piece of shrapnel went through the woman.

Suzaku could only stare, the woman who had been teasing him for all of two seconds was dead and there was a high likelihood that he would soon follow. He prepared himself in what way he could to die, thinking of Chihiro, Kenta, and Suzuki . . . Suzuki, who'd soon be alone in this world. The blade struck the neck of the first royal guard, and Suzaku managed to catch the gun and fire to kill another before it too clicked empty.

"I can't die here. Not like this." He growled, but a rifle butt to the chest sent him to the ground.

"The girl's dead. Too bad, looks like the terrorists tortured her." The royal guardsman spoke and raised his gun. "I'm afraid this is the end for you, terrorist scum." He grinned, and the woman's hand touched Suzaku's as if to reassure him. Then again she was dead, and Suzaku was about to die. _You don't want to die, do you?_

"No." Suzaku said, gritting his teeth, sitting up and glaring at the man about to shoot him. _Then I propose a contract, you will fulfil my one wish, and I will grant you a power that may save your life. The power of a king, to change the world, it will force you into a life of solitude. Are you prepared?_ Images burned themselves into Suzaku's mind. He saw shadows crawling towards light, gas giants colliding, and rows of strange women in robes with the same symbol tattooed across their foreheads. Then he saw machines turn worlds to dust and humanity fighting against itself with machines not unlike the knightmares, but larger. He saw great onyx ships firing beams of death onto alien worlds.

"I accept your contract."

* * *

Lelouch put his face in one of his hands, "This can't be happening. It wasn't supposed to happen like this." He muttered, as Naoto began relaying orders for the few Ashigaru and Glasgow they had to be ready for action as the ultimatum of his insane half-brother Clovis.

The destruction of the ghetto had been televised as a reconstruction project and the warning sent by Hyperion was enough to send the people in a panic. "We aren't ready to reveal the Liberators yet, I can't believe we have to use the junk that we got from Kyoto. No offense of course, Kaguya." Naoto grumbled as Kaguya smiled apologetically.

"None taken. We only received word now, and Tohdoh is busy trying to get Katase to stop being an annoyance, you're on your own. Though I doubt Britannia would have a chance if your boss were using renaissance aged cannons." She smirked, making Naoto snort and Lelouch sigh.

"You people have too much faith in me." Lelouch said as Kaguya disconnected. "How many cells do we have ready to mobilize?" he asked as Naoto and several other of his captains worked the screens and numbers began to flow in from the district's cell leaders and various other holdouts that Legion possessed within the ghettos.

"Seven. We have eight Akatsuki frames, though their cannons have been removed in favour of close range knightmare shotguns and fifteen Glasgows with their standard loadout of anti-knightmare hammers and rifles. On the other hand, Asplund's new toy the Lancelot has been confirmed in Britannia's side. Good news is they don't have a pilot." Naoto said, bringing the numbers to Lelouch's console. The diagnostic notes and schematics on the Lancelot flowed through and was quickly noted by Lelouch who forwarded it to Rakshatta for further analysis.

"Let's see if we can get Suzaku to pilot it, have Lloyd be ready for our confirmation." He said, and another of the captains, Shinozaki if he recalled, raised his voice in the mic and Lelouch froze for a moment. "What do you mean they returned without Suzaku? Is he? No? Then have Trojan team three find him. The underground? They lost . . . for the love of . . . I'll speak with them later." Lelouch said and Naoto raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong, boss?" Naoto asked worriedly. It was for the fact that Suzaku was one of the few remaining members of the Kururugi family that a good number of the other cells joined him, he was a rallying flag for the resistance and if he died, they'd lose a good bit of support. "I'll lead them personally." He said, standing as Kallen entered the command station.

"I got the news. Has Rakshatta managed to get the Guren's radiant wave running?" she asked, taking a seat near Lelouch, frowning when she saw his expression. "What's wrong?

"Suzaku's missing, he disappeared into the underground to go after Code R." Lelouch muttered, shaking his head. "His transmitter says he's stable, but the rise in adrenaline and brain activity concerns me." He muttered before shifting his attention to Naoto once more. "No. I need you commanding the forces on the ground. I'm no ace and with Suzaku missing, you and your sister are the only aces I can play with Tohdoh having troubles with the JLF."

Naoto looked like he wanted to argue, but then thought better of it. "I'll head out then. Clovis has begun closing off the roads, we need to act now. We've sent out the warnings and people are beginning to hide in the old Ashford clinics, we've at least managed to keep them in good repair."

Lelouch nodded and glanced at Kallen. "I know how much Suzaku means to all of us, we need to look past that for now. I need you up there as well. You're one of my best if not my best pilots. As to your earlier question, Rakshatta is finished with the Guren, though the radiant surge weapon has only four uses before the emitter burns out." He said before returning to managing the battle to come. Roughly sixty percent of the ghetto was clear already, well within the safety parameters that he'd expected.

He grimaced as he looked towards the west where Clovis's forces were deployed. Encircling the ghetto, so he really meant to destroy it, he shook his head sadly. The boy he remembered from Pendragon years ago was dead, time to let his body catch up. He'd done it before, and he remembered it so clearly, how the bullet entered and exited, how the blood pooled and turned his blonde hair dark. The memories he had tried to supress since the voice had told him it could no longer speak to him and had withdrawn.

The tactical map glowed, bathing the room in its cerulean light as the grid had the IFFs of his units and cells appearing as they began activating their trackers and knightmares. He stood and Lelouch breathed deeply. He couldn't afford a mistake, ever since Suzaku had discovered his father assassinated, back to when he was still a prince, since Nunnally disappeared from his life and though he knew she was only a few buildings away, he had to be strong. "All Legion forces, hear my words. The Britannian army led by Prince Clovis of the empire is preparing to destroy the ghettos. You all know who I am, Lelouch Vi Britannia, and I know you will all do your best to save your homes and the people within. You know what I am, you know who you all are. Let Britannia know that we will not die on our knees, Sic Semper Tyrannis."

Lelouch looked on as the timer counted down, and he closed his eyes and though he was not a religious man, he silently prayed to see his men through what would be his first major battle. "Give me strength." He whispered, thinking back to what the Collective Unconscious had said to him, that he was to be mankind's shepherd, its guide. "Time first to see if I can guide Legion to victory." He smirked. Let the games begin.

"All forces, prepare to engage on my mark."

* * *

A/N:

I'll bet nobody expected Suzaku to get geass. Ha ha! One of the main things I think I wanted to do. Suzaku was disgusted by geass mainly by his perception that the only geass that he knew of was Lelouch's and his use of the power was what drove the Black Knights away. Now that a new geass will appear, what do you all think will happen from this point onwards? Let me know what you all think. (That and its the reason Euphie betrayed and massacred the Elevens and that Lelouch killed her. Then again, Ohgi and the others never bothered to ask Lelouch for his side and all just assumed that Lelouch geassed them all but if he had then they wouldn't be having that conversation anyhow. Oh well. Some food for thought.)

Shout out to all the story's followers both new and old, hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am with writing it. I'm hoping to continue the story as a series, and with college starting up for me, I'm hoping a weekly update when possible. Wish me luck ;)

Meanwhile, new contest. Geass powers that you all might want to see used and descriptions of how the power works. Just know that geass is mind based, so I won't have any sudden superman superstrength (That's in the Irregulars and specialized cells, maybe I'll go that route, who knows, but for now, just geass powers). Examples is Lelouch's absolute obedience, Bismark's precognitive ability, and Mao's mind reading. Oh and Charlie's mental rewrite power, that must be complicated to use.

Until Tomorrow Comes,

ZE signing off.


	11. Chapter 7: Shinjuku and Code R

_'_ _The Ashford Academy and its satellite university in Paris is one of the few international schools that still exist in the socio-political climate today. Due to the rigorous educational standards, Earl Ruben Ashford has managed to convince the emperor that allowing the Numbers to attain education would provide harsher competition for normally complacent nobles. The old traditions were no longer followed, for under Emperor Charles's rule, anyone with an education would be able to make something of themselves, it just so happened that the racism and bias forced Numbers down the line._

 _The Ashford's educational system has also provided a highly skilled workforce for their partner company Hyperion, in which Earl Ashford is also a main partner of. With Jeremiah Gottwald at its head and his son William being groomed in the ownership of the business as well as political intrigue, Ashford Academy and the other schools under the Athena Group are secure under Hyperion for the foreseeable future due to the tolerance shown by Margrave Gottwald and Earl Ashford towards Numbers.'_

 _Britannia Business Inquirer, "A Look Into Hyperion"_

 _Britannia Publishing, 2026_

* * *

Thirty minutes into the battle, Naoto's Ashigaru emptied its clip for the fifth time, pitching over what he thought to be his fifteenth Sutherland as he ducked behind a building as rifle fire whizzed through the air around him. He engaged the anti-knightmare hammer, more commonly known as a thunder hammer, and the telescoping staff extended. The head that released a blast of energy that short circuited the delicate inner workings of most knightmares came on a second later and Naoto shifted the shotgun to its holster before charging a reloading Sutherland, striking the chest of the machine and depressing the firing stud that sent the current, forcing the Sutherland to its knees as it went into diagnostics checks. He spun around and struck two more, one with each end of the staff, and sent them down to follow the first. "Red Captain, move down two blocks and fire the slash harkens at your five o'clock and raise sixty degrees." Lelouch ordered, Naoto instinctively following and the slash harkens smashing into a pair of gunships.

From inside the command bunker under the headquarters of Hyperion's Tokyo base, Lelouch smirked. "Just like chess." He said to himself to calm down. "Blue 3, advance to point E7 and fire UN ordinance at point E6 on the right quadrant." He said, as the squad of four Glasgow moved back and shot at the Sutherlands that had appeared behind them as Kallen zipped by, the combat knife dragging through the cockpit block of a Sutherland as she darted from view to immolate a particularly nasty mobile artillery piece with the radiant surge.

Lelouch nodded as he watched the screen and the dance of death unfold. He passed along several more orders and frowned when he came to the notice that the G1 was staying far away from the combat zone. He calculated and realized he had done too well, Clovis would be alive, since it would be too risky to reveal the Guren at this junction and the Liberators weren't green lit by him and the science division, not to mention the rest of his allies. Running a rebellion is a lot easier than managing a black-ops division, he thought.

"Sir, all remaining enemy forces are withdrawing, Clovis's G1 has already exited the allowed combat area for our intervention." Shinozaki reported, the image of the G1 leaving filled the screen along with retreating Britannian forces, as a cheer came up from the command group as the maestro of the symphony simply sat in silence. "We've won, Mr. Gottwald." She sighed

Lelouch shook his head, "Not won, we failed to kill the enemy commander. The ghetto is mostly destroyed though there's thankfully few casualties. This is only the beginning. We haven't heard the end from Clovis yet. Have all forces retreat using exfiltration pattern Sigma Three and the underground route three-three-ten." He said grimly, curling his hand into a fist. We're stuck with Clovis, which means Cornelia won't have to appear, but Euphemia . . . she may already be here. Lelouch grumbled inwardly, glancing to the screen where Clovis's image was now preparing to speak to everyone in Japan.

His hand was clenched over his heart and he had tears in his eyes that Lelouch was pretty sure was fake, he seemed dishevelled, but then he was never quite the best chess tactician. "My fellow Britannians, it is with great sorrow that I announce that fifty-seven of our brave knights fell to the terrorists, and of those only seventeen will ever see active service again. For their sacrifice was made to protect you, the citizens, from the foul weapons the terrorists would have otherwise set upon you all. Their bravery will never be forgotten, and we shall never see their likeness in this world again." He said, filled with emotion that Lelouch had to admire, he was just an actor, but a very good one to be sure.

Naoto walked up to Lelouch and smirked. "If one good thing comes out of this, at least he won't be replaced by a more competent commander."

Standing, Lelouch turned to return to his offices in the upper floors. "That's true. Though I expect we'll still have more problems to deal with. We haven't heard the last of Shinjuku and Clovis."

A courier, marked by the blue armband on his shoulder ran up and saluted. "A message for you, sir." He said, handing the tablet to Lelouch as he ran back to wherever he was stationed. Network traffic was still unreliable, sometimes a human touch was still needed, not to mention Lelouch hand-picked each of the couriers and they had more than enough fail safes to prevent any hacking attempts.

"Looks like Trojan Three's picked up Suzaku." Lelouch mused as Naoto turned to follow. His eyes widened slightly at the report and he sighed heavily. "And it looks like he brought a guest along with him."

Naoto took the pad from Lelouch and looked at it, where a woman with green hair sat next to Suzaku in the transport. "Who's she?" he asked.

Shaking his head, Lelouch sighed again, "She's Code R."

* * *

The special operations team Trojan Three had easily located Suzaku, the GPS device on his person made that the easy part. The hard part was discovering just how Suzaku had managed to subdue Clovis La Britannia's entire royal guard alone. The young man was grinning ruefully as CC sat down beside him, sure he had been freaked out at first, but then again stranger things have happened today.

"I can't die here." Suzaku thought, and suddenly, everything seemed to be clear. He saw a flicker, then he had moved out of the way as they began firing. He knew what they would do next, and managed to duck in time for their second volley of shots. Something was up, he thought, the world around him was in red and grey, but afterimages gave him ideas on what they would do next.

The entire incident was over in as many seconds as there were guards after that point. Weaving through their hail of bullets was like that game his sister played with brightly coloured bullets and not getting hit, Touhou if he recalled. In any event, he had managed to deftly pull the pins on the grenades on their belts without missing a beat and dove behind a wall as a loud wail came up from the soldiers as they were shredded by their own anti-personnel grenades.

He returned to CC and slumped down next to her body. The first thing he noticed is that she didn't lose much colour, and in fact the blood was returning to her body. Suzaku found the fragment slowly inch out of her chest. He paled as she sat up and with a soft cry removed the piece entirely. "I'm guessing some answers are in order." She said coyly as Suzaku didn't have even the slightest activity in his mind at the moment.

That was where the men of Trojan Three found him, sitting next to her as she was about to tell her story. The leader, a man named John Price if Suzaku recalled, nodded to Suzaku and helped him up. "What the hell happened here?" he asked, glancing towards the dead soldiers. "Actually, maybe I'd rather not know. William wants to know his best friend's alive and his sister's been driving Roach mad." He said, grinning at the expense of one of his men who was still currently answering someone on his personal com.

Suzaku glanced back at CC and took her by the arm and they all piled into the ancient van that Trojan Three was using. The ride back was rather uneventful, at least until Price tossed out part of CC's clothing, explaining that the collar was a tracker device by Clovis. "Prancing little dandy will be hunting her down, we don't need his attack dog purists on our tails just yet." He said, firing the collar from his grenade launcher and watched as it soared into the settlement.

* * *

Omake: A Day in Council

Ashford Academy sat in one of the middling levels of the Settlement, and was a black mark for more traditional Britannians. The fact that the first four years of their primary school was free and their best and brightest among the Eleven population were given free schooling up till high school then allowed to join Hyperion or complete college. Many choose the former to support their families, but some go on to their satellite campus in Paris, much to the anger of the nobility, but then again as Ruben Ashford had said. "They are the top of their class, they've fought the best of the nobility and other Numbers to get where they are. Survival of the fittest, and giving them the opportunity to show their loyalty isn't such a bad thing. Willing servants are always easier to deal with than resentful slaves."

It had always escaped Alice how a noble like Millicent Ashford, affectionately called Milly by her younger sister and most of the school in fact, could act so casually. She sat at the middle school council, having gotten her way to the vice president seat in their elections, wondering these things for the fifth or sixth time when a hand tapped her shoulder, making her jump. "Sorry Alice, err, vice president, we're just about to start." Their secretary, an Eleven boy named Hitoshi, was shaking her from her thoughts.

She shook herself awake and nodded, "Sorry. Just thinking about what happened the other day." Alice said, rather carelessly as she was indeed still thinking about how the prince had announced the deaths of several dozen Britannian servicemen and knights after a terrorist attack in the Shinjuku ghettos. "I don't get it. Why were that many knights in the ghettos in the first place, and not even Knight-Police from what I hear." She mused.

Hitoshi didn't grace her with a response as their president, a boy from a few classes over, Jonathan Stark, one of the other families in the knightmare business, spoke. "Alright everyone, settle down. The middle school division is supposed to host the fair in two weeks, and before that, we need to plan a memorial event for the fallen soldiers." He said easily, but glared at Hitoshi, the only non-Britannian member of the council. Despite having over half the student population made of Numbers, majority of the council members that had been elected were Britannian. Alice had all but forced Hitoshi to join the council, as a favour to her sister, and because she wanted to see Jonathan Stark squirm when a Number was given a position of power.

Being forced to both not be racist to the Numbers or glorify Britannia's warmongering, Jonathan was going to have his work cut out for him. Life was good, she smirked.

* * *

A/N:

Sorry for the late update everyone, my computer needed a little TLC after my little sister downloaded one too many One Direction songs and let a virus into the system. I didn't lose too much thankfully, still got most of my notes and my story outlines and thankfully my school notes are safe. (On the other hand, I'll need to teach her how to download properly so this doesn't happen again. A project for another time.)

That aside, I've started another project or two so look forward to that. One idea of mine is Hunters of Remnant, a RWBY-HALO crossover where the Spartans are Hunters and the Grimm are far more numerous and evil. (Yes it will have *snicker* Jaune-117, but he won't be the main focus.) The other doesn't have a name quite yet but it's a story of two of my Skyrim characters and their take on the events of Skyrim and possibly beyond. (Just watched episode ten of season five . . . I'm looking at you Westeros. I mean, I read the books . . . but YOU KNOW NOTHING JON SNOW!)

Sorry for the fangirl moment there. Finally, thank you all for your continued support of this story and I hope to hear more from you as this and my other projects take off. On the other hand, if you're all Harry Potter fans, check out White Squirrel's "The Arithmancer." It's an interesting take on the story and basically goes AU from day one. A very fun read all in all.

Until Tomorrow Comes,

ZE out!


	12. Chapter 8: Bloodshed and Questions

_"_ _Despite what many historians may say, the true origin of Britannia's rise began long before its fall was put into motion. Beginning with the defeat of the rebel leader George Washington's fleet of French and Colonial American navies, Lord Admiral Heathcliff broke through the lines with the recently christened HMS Dreadnought that destroyed a majority of the combined continental army's naval forces and brought an end to the Washington Rebellion. This allowed the later Humiliation of Edinburgh to allow the continued survival of the Imperial Family."_

 _Complete History of Modern Britannia, chapter seventeen "Washington's Rebellion"_

 _Britannia Publishing, 2000_

* * *

Lelouch held his face in his hands for what felt like the tenth time in as many minutes. CC was certainly stubborn, she didn't budge when she didn't want to, and was a trouble to keep focused. He shot a glance at Suzaku who shrugged and appraised CC once again. The green haired woman wasn't the strangest thing either of the two had seen, no it was the fact she was immortal that piqued the interest of the brown haired ace. "Again, Miss CC. We need to know about the power you gave my friend, Suzaku, here." He tried one more time, honestly, he was simply tempted to reveal he had gone back in time and knew most of her dirty secrets at this point, but that would serve no purpose. "I know that you gave him geass. Don't give me that look, Suzaku. I'll explain everything when she does." He said.

"I'm CC." she started, as she always did, flashing a coy grin towards Lelouch who made to massage his temple again. "You know I'm immortal, and that I can give other non-Code Bearers a geass power." She said, frowning when she mentioned the word code bearer, maybe it was starting to work, Lelouch thought.

Smiling, Lelouch sat forward. "I know that little mind trick of yours, but what's this about other . . . code bearer, was it?" he said. She scowled at him and looked at Suzaku, but the Japanese boy seemed content to stay on the side for this encounter. "I know of you and the imp in Pendragon. Didn't know there were more." A strange look from Naoto had Lelouch rolling his eyes. "No real way to explain this gently, I'll fill you in later."

CC looked oddly at Lelouch for a moment, "You don't know what you are?" she asked, this time with genuine curiosity, though Lelouch thought she could be a good actor. He raised an eyebrow, as did Naoto and Suzaku, before CC smirked. "You don't look too bad, how did you get one?" she asked.

Seeing that everyone had a blank face, CC continued. "You're a code bearer. Same as me." She said. "I didn't know that there was a code bearer in Japan other than that strange old man near Mt. Fuji."

Lelouch frowned, this was not how it happened before. "Wha . . ." was all Lelouch got out of his mouth as CC turned on Naoto and pulled the trigger of his pistol on Lelouch.

* * *

Clovis La Britannia had his head in his hands, the bottles of whiskey at his feet were testament to the massive headache he received following the failed destruction of the ghetto. "Reconstruction and restoration. That's a bad excuse, even for me." He chuckled. Having received the message from the emperor not three hours ago regarding his failure and his replacement, his half-sister Juniper Au Britannia, despite not truly conforming to the emperor's "The Strongest Survive" motto, was exactly what the empire needed to calm Area Eleven after the blunder Clovis had caused.

Following the disaster of Shinjuku, General Bartley found himself stripped of his command and was currently sulking, though the whale of a man often did just that anyway. He had blubbered and stuttered but Clovis was fed up, how someone like him had reached general rank was beyond the recently deposed viceroy. They didn't have much of a choice on the matter, Bartley was ordered to wipe out all information regarding Code R so his successor couldn't tattle on him.

The way Clovis figured, the only real choice was for him to return to Pendragon and hide from the political storm that would follow the events at Shinjuku. The very name of the place sent Clovis into another bout of drinking, polishing off yet another quarter filled bottle of cognac before downing half a bottle of water, the buzzing had yet to reach sufficient levels. One thing Clovis had to admit was that Area Eleven was in better hands with Juniper than himself in command, perhaps Euphemia was willing to be temporary sub-viceroy in the interim until her sister Cornelia could be properly instated after the Area Eighteen campaign.

Adding to the problem was the disappearance of Earl Lloyd Asplund to his father's workshop in Hyperion. Legally, a prince could call on any member of Britannia to serve them, but since they were under oath to his older brother, third prince Schneizel, there was little he could do since there was no pilot for the Lancelot until one of the Knights of the Round or Cornelia appeared. Despite having ordered for pilots, Asplund was very particular, something about being superhuman.

Smirking to himself, Clovis had to laugh despite himself. There was just something about the enemy commander that was eerily familiar, the feints and openings, much like a chess game that played him like a drum. "It's impossible," he shook his head, taking another gulp from the bottle. "He died nearly a decade ago. There's no way it's him."

Fate it seemed, had a terrible sense of humor, his sister Juniper had accepted her position as Viceroy, as he had just been notified through the mail. His other half-brother, the maniacal psychopath called the Butcher of Britannia, Herod Myr Britannina and his knight of honor, the Knight of the Round Luciano Bradley, had become the overall commander of Britannian forces in Area Eleven. "Things just keep getting better and better." He sighed to his secretary, who frowned but the heavily inebriated royal didn't notice as she walked and began to pick up the bottles and Clovis chuckled. "Just hope dear Juniper doesn't get an aneurism from him."

"Sir." His secretary started, but Clovis held up a hand to silence her.

Letting a chuckle rise from his lips, he smirked. "Shh, just sit back and watch. It'll be chaos when Herod takes command. I do think they'll forget all about me with his bloodbath."

One of the things Clovis didn't want at the moment was more talking and he leaned back and let himself sink into the couch as he leaned back. Of course, fate once more seemed to play its hand as the door was knocked down by an iron shod boot and a pair of men stomped into the room. The first had blonde hair and eyes of piercing amethyst, a wicked grin on his face while he grinned down at his older brother and the second was the infamous knight of tem. "They will all scream!" the first declared, making Clovis wince and rub his temples with his hands.

"Who the . . . what are you doing here?!" Clovis began, but jaw dropped as his psychopath of a half-brother appeared, swinging a large axe in hand and planting it between Clovis and the table, leaning into his brother. "The four of you!"

Behind Herod was his personal knight, Luciano Bradley, former knight of ten and known as the Vampire of Britannia. The emperor hadn't liked Bradley too much, and found to his amazement that the latter wasn't too mad of being stripped of his titles, since Herod had recruited him soon after. There was much more freedom to be found with a prince that constantly volunteered to lead suppression campaigns in rebelling areas than in the honourable order of the twelve knights that guarded the emperor.

He had said four and four there were. Behind the two lingered the tall and lithe figure of his half-sister Juniper. She gave Clovis an apologetic smile, having likely been commanded by their father to keep Herod's bloodlust in line, not that she'd get the chance Clovis thought. Her kindness was probably on par with Euphemia or Penelope, though the former had yet to be revealed and the latter had forsaken their claim.

Juniper Au Britannia fit the stereotypical royal, with elegant straight brown hair she simply let down, framing a heart-shaped face. At sixteen years of age, her petite frame stood around five and a half feet tall with rather pale and flawless skin. She always had a warm, if shy, expression on her face. Her dress was much simpler than the often outlandish garb of most of the royal court, a simple pale green dress that flowed down like silk which then again it probably was and embroidered with silver thread. "Brother Clovis, it's been too long." She smiled, silently apologizing to him regarding Herod's behaviour.

Clovis smiled back at his younger half-sister, she always had a good head on her shoulders, and was nothing like the hag that she called mother he thought. "Always good to see you, little sister." He said, having to squint through the haze of alcohol in his system. "Your knight of honour, I take it?" he asked, gesturing to the woman standing behind her.

"Yes, my lord. Marika Soresi, second lieutenant of the Sixteenth Gloucester Lancers." She bowed crisply, making Clovis raise an eyebrow to appraise his sister's choice of knight. She had short chestnut coloured hair from what he could gather, and bright blue eyes that sparkled, Clovis reprimanded himself mentally, he wasn't about to proposition his sister's knight. Perhaps a year younger, Clovis thought. He personally knew some other young officers in the Britannian army, but more often than not were knightmare aces in specialized groups, she was likely one of those in the category.

"Enough talk, when do we kill the Elevens for making you look like an ass?" Herod cut in before Clovis could reply. Herod was a stocky twenty year old, in command of his own division, the Thirty-Sixth Raider Corps that specialized in shock-and-awe tactics. He made for an imposing figure that could fight as well within a knightmare than on foot. His blonde hair was spiked much like Luciano Bradley, though wasn't coloured, and his purple eyes were wide at the prospect of being able to kill.

His current knight of honor, Luciano Bradley, was former knight of ten, before the emperor relieved him of his service after an incident with Bismarck Waldstein, Dorothea Ernst, and two bottles of Swiss absinthe. Needless to say, the former two ended up out of commission for a few weeks with alcohol poisoning and damage to their livers and the latter was sent packing.

Clovis looked at the polar opposites of the two pairs of royal and knight before him and sighed, tilting his head back. He groaned, "I'm glad I'm not part of this anymore."

* * *

Erika Kingsly sat at her desk at Ashford, staring off into space for what seemed like the third time today. She couldn't help it, she knew deep down that Lelouch was responsible in some way for Shinjuku. Maybe she was being hopeful about it, but he had always sworn to defend the weak in the few minutes of contact she had with him. It had long receded to the back of her mind, and she knew that Lelouch would always love her, but she felt so alone all the same. She had made a few true friends in Ashford, and her sister Alice, who had been such for a long portion of her life that she couldn't be anything else, had always tried to help her in any way she could.

It was frustrating, knowing that Lelouch was a phone call away, but she knew that he had a point. For them to truly die, they could never be seen together in any way. Changing hair and eye colour was all well and good, but it would have taken them face masks for the rest of their lives for probably the next twenty years before the trail truly went cold otherwise. This way, Nunnally, she reminded herself. The two would be safe and maybe things would be better soon. If Lelouch hurried, they could be together again and stop with all the subterfuge.

"Erika, what's wrong?" Hitoshi asked, and briefly wondered if spacing out on a conversation was a Kingsly family trait before reprimanding himself. "You seem distant . . . well more than usual."

Smiling at her friend, she shook her head. "It's nothing, Hitoshi. Just thinking about some stuff. Don't worry about it." The Japanese boy nodded before he continued to observe Erika. She always seemed to stare off into space like the main character of some anime his parents' still had. He found himself thinking quietly, despite all her cheerfulness, she was cold sometimes. Erika was a person a lot of person befriended, if only because she was so unusual. Highly intelligent, and while not introverted was not outgoing, there was often talk among the other boys who would be the first to get her attention.

Lost in his thoughts, he never noticed that Erika glanced back at him with a small smile, and one wondered why the two were often together. It wasn't common knowledge, but Hitoshi was one of the children that survived the invasion, being the same age as Erika and had a slight infatuation with her while she brought food and water to the refugees while they were hiding in the clubhouse. Hitoshi's own brother had gone on to the satellite campus in Paris where he was taking up law and hoped to join Hyperion to get a chance to work in the system.

Class ended that day and neither Hitoshi nor Erika had much work done, despite Erika often being top of the class despite her often class-long daydreams. It was one of those days that Erika often walked alone since her older sister was often engrossed in club activities, one had to wonder aside from appearance, the only thing the two sisters shared was a love of sweets. Alice was athletic where Erika was good with art, Alice was street smart and Erika with books, Alice had a boyfriend much to their parents' chagrin, while Erika was always distant and didn't interact much outside of schoolwork.

It was only after several moments that the two noticed they were staring at each other, though neither of the two figured out how close they were, having both been lost in their thoughts. Erika's cheeks coloured and she stepped back, "Sorry, I-I didn't notice." She sputtered, pitching back when Hitoshi made to grab her hand as she fell back, the two crashing to the floor.

It was several more moments before either of the two realized the rather compromising position Erika was in. The two held still for a few more moments and the only sound other than their breathing was the brief click as a camera flashed briefly. The accidental couple took a tumble to get away from the flash as they heard high pitched laughter. "Alice, don't you dare show that picture to anyone else." Erika hissed, pushing Hitoshi off in a moment of anger and lunging for her sister's phone.

Easily the more athletic of the two, Alice got out of the way of Erika's tackle. "C'mon, chill out, sis." Alice laughed, dancing away as the younger took the time to swipe at her with her arms. The banter continued for all of five minutes, Alice laughing as Erika tried and failed to snatch her sister's phone from her.

"What the devil is going on in here?"

* * *

A/N:

Hello again everyone, sorry for disappearing. If you don't know yet, I've put up an idea of mine on the Harry Potter fanfictions called the RTD (Roll the Die / Roll to Die). It's basically you, the readers, who have your own OCs running around a year at Hogwarts. If it's popular enough, I'll continue it for another school year there. Just wanted you all to know and maybe you're Harry Potter fans. (Just don't blame me if the dice kill off your characters for some reason.) It's entitled Hogwarts: A Day in the Life for those interested.

Meanwhile, people seemed either confused or angry that I didn't either; A: Kill Clovis or B: Detail a Battle for Shinjuku. Clovis will still have a roll to play and I haven't outlined whether I'm killing him off or not, meanwhile the actual battle will be Herod vs Lelouch which I mostly intend to dedicate a chapter to. I had originally written the Battle for Shinjuku, but it was lost in the computer death that happened because viruses. Sorry about that all, please keep reading, you won't be disappointed.

Please comment and don't forget to leave a review or PM me if you have questions.

Until Tomorrow Comes,

ZE signing off.


	13. Chapter 9: Intriguing Conversation

_"_ _Today is not the end. My brothers and sisters-in-arms, though we fall today, our nation will never die. Destiny is waiting for us, her arms raised to welcome us in her embrace. Let the Britannians know that free men stand before them, not animals being herded to the slaughter. Let them know that the Japanese died for the freedom they held dear. For the forgotten, we remember. For the dead, we honor. For the living, and all those to come, we fight! Charge!"_

-Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, Battle for Hiroshima

Recorded by Sgt. Ichiro Miyamoto, 27th Infantry Division

* * *

Lelouch's eyes opened as he shouted, "What are you doing!" He awakened to a pale orange sky, somewhere he hadn't been since the last timeline, the Sword of Akasha, however instead of Charles zi Britannia, God was there. "What did you do to me?" Lelouch groaned, sitting up and shaking the pain from his mind as the mass of mask, cog, and cloak gazed down at his gamble.

 **You died.** God said, looking rather curiously at Lelouch. **I didn't expect it to happen this early, but when Celtica puts her mind to something, there's little anyone can do to stop her.** The darkness inside the cloak seemed to chuckle at Lelouch's confusion, putting a hand where the bullet entered, his forehead. The manifestation of humanity, to put it mildly, was amused. It seemed as such to Lelouch, who sat down.

"So I failed then." Lelouch sighed, looking out towards the horizon where he knew the cogs that kept humanity turning hid, and for the first time was at peace. His sister wasn't crippled, and the Elevens had a good chance at life under Hyperion, he had done well, despite everything that had happened. God seemed to observe the young man and tilted its proverbial head in confusion. "I mean, I died. The game's up."

God seemed to find this amusing however, and let out a loud bark of laughter, strange as it came from no face but the hood and echoed around. **No. She was not mistaken. As I can no longer intervene should the Destroyer choose to bring himself into the Sword Pillar, I had transferred a Code, one of thirteen, to you to keep you safe. I admit I didn't think that it would activate until later.** It said, but Lelouch knew that the estranged being was enjoying the conundrum that he had managed to get himself into, no thanks to the lime-haired witch.

Lelouch had to shake his head at this, "This is a mess." He stated simply, looking out over the orange haze that was C's World. Now that he thought about it, he noticed the gears turning even now, a gear vanishing every few seconds and more appearing from the top. "It's sad, here I thought I could get through this without having to result to martyrdom, and here I am without ~" Lelouch began to monologue but stopped. "Come again?"

If God had a head within the darkness of the robe he would have rolled his eyes and shook his head. **For someone so perceptive you are slow when you want to be.** It said pointedly as Lelouch sat down to process this new information. **You are a code bearer, and as such can freely give the power of geass to those who you deem worthy, you simply need to agree to holding up your end of the bargain.** God said, standing beside the construct of God as he watched the sun set.

"What happens now? How do I explain to everyone that I just died in front of them and came back to life. They'd lock me away or experiment on me." Lelouch asked, looking towards the gears as they spun lazily behind the veil that Lelouch had begun to see through. It was interesting, now that Lelouch thought about it, that he was given all these chances.

 **You were determined to succeed, I simply gave you the means to have a little more leeway in how you conduct your operations. I hope to meet you again under more pleasant circumstances.** The Collective Unconsciousness boomed as the world disintegrated around Lelouch and he felt himself fall again to his body and where he saw sterile white. **You were out for a few hours, I believe you're in the morgue.**

Lelouch sat up as the cloth fell before him with a gasp, clutching at his chest where the bullet had shot him earlier. He noted the sterile environment and figured that God had been right and that he had been dead, well figuratively speaking anyway. He briefly noted the alarm in the distance and the slight burning in his chest, where the bird sigil of a code bearer seemed to be branded onto him. A doctor, with Naoto and Suzaku trailing behind him rushed in, the latter two with weapons drawn and the former with a panicked and puzzled expression.

The three looked strangely at Lelouch for a moment before the elderly doctor swooned and collapsed. "Well, that was a thing."

* * *

Juniper had left her own tastes in the ballroom, replacing some of the darker portraits of various nobles with scenery pieces she had done herself or coerced Clovis to paint some time ago. Many of the older nobles were having a frustrating day trying to win the affection of the young princess, who had been schooled by her half-brother Schneizel El Britannia, and managed to make vague promises that didn't tie her down.

Lelouch watched from a corner of the ballroom, still not quite comfortable in high society for fear that someone would somehow recognize him despite all the effort he had taken to change appearances. Currently chatting with Naoto who still went by James Stadtfeld in society, one perk of being a legal organization for a change, Kallen simply sat around looking quite passive despite the fiery attitude the two young men knew so well.

"William, do you have any intention of talking to the viceroy? I am certain she will be interested in funding the rehabilitation program in the ghetto following the Shinjuku incident." Naoto said to Lelouch, who was as of now immersed in reading reports handed to him by Kallen, mostly figures of various cells disguised as progress reports of various factories. They might also be intelligence gathered by their espionage teams in various government agencies.

The viceroy had taken to avoiding the mass of talking bureaucrats and aristocrats, and had somehow found her way to the table of Lelouch and company. With a curt bow after rising, Naoto and Lelouch with Kallen pulling off an acceptable curtsey, had the viceroy and her knight, both in evening gowns for the event, take seats at their table with Lelouch sending a look at the various gathered men to back off.

"Your highness, it is an honour to welcome you to Area Eleven. I am~" Lelouch began but Juniper gave a coy grin and answered for Lelouch.

"William Gottwald, son and heir of Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald and heir to his business conglomerate known as Hyperion. Your younger sister is Marianne Frances Gottwald and mother is Monica Gottwald formerly Kruszewski, a candidate of the Knights of the Round prior to Bismarck's request of her transfer." She said, smiling at Lelouch and Naoto's expression, one of both guarded curiosity and interest at her knowledge of his assumed past. "Sorry, I make it a habit to research on potential candidates for marriage." She said rather stiffly, noting the sudden change of expression from interest to horror to something of contemplation on the supposed William Gottwald's expression.

For one thing, Naoto had to admire how Lelouch had kept his cool upon hearing that his half-sister might be engaged to him and there was no way that Jeremiah could refuse and all agreed that he and Kallen were too young and wanted to wait until Lelouch's success before tying the knot. "I . . . well I'm flattered." Lelouch said numbly, to which the princess frowned.

Juniper seemed hurt by Lelouch's statement while Kallen held her face in her hands to hide her paroxysm of annoyance, disgust, and amusement at Lelouch's current predicament. "I didn't know that I was such a terrible prospect." She said slowly, a light flush covering her cheeks, glancing towards Kallen. "It was my fath~ the emperor's idea."

Always trying to fix mistakes, Lelouch stopped her there, "Of course not, my princess, I was merely taken aback at your forwardness to the matter." He said, even as her knight drew closer, sensing something that only knights seemed to. "I'd have to consult father about this matter, but if the emperor himself declared as such, there's little someone of my rank can do about it."

The princess was now puzzled, to mildly distressed at the simple acceptance of one of the most influential people in the empire with their ties to the EU. Simple being a relative term, she surmised, the emperor wasn't someone that a person would deny if they valued their life. Sighing inwardly, the princess took another look at William Gottwald, the heir to a business empire that rivalled most ancient dynasties and their holdings that a simple margrave accomplished in his lifetime. He cleaned up nicely, she supposed, giving him a thoughtful look even as Marika took her place at her back, glaring down at the young heir and his associate's children that directly faced her charge.

Turquoise hair framed a thin, elegant face, piercing blue eyes sparkled against pale skin and the frame was more effeminate than his father, wearing a casual smirk that said he had more than enough influence to get out of almost any situation. Juniper wouldn't be surprised if he did, his family did contract the newer Sutherland operating system as well as developed the hardware and software for the infantry's headgear and communication systems. Getting off topic once more, she found herself looking into his eyes and shook her head. "Well, Gottwald, I must be going now."

Rising, Lelouch gave a smirk and bowed. "Until next we meet then, Princess Au Britannia." Pausing for a moment, Juniper turned back as she walked away.

"How boorish, men call my elder sister that. To you, William, it's just Juniper if you like." Juniper said, giving a small smile as Marika glared daggers at Lelouch who gave a nod in acknowledgement.

Giving a statelier bow, like a gentleman of old before his lady to ask for a dance. "Well then, until next time then, Juniper." Lelouch said, the smirk morphing into a smile as he glanced briefly at Marika then back to the princess, who seemed to watch with expectation as Lelouch sealed the gesture by bringing the viceroy's hand to his lips and gave a light kiss that had Marika looking like she wanted to strangle him and Juniper a surprised flush dusting her cheeks. "Congratulations on your appointment to viceroy, and good luck."

* * *

A few hours before the party, Lelouch found himself staring back at CC who was currently doing her best to look sheepish at the very least for shooting Lelouch. If Lelouch still remembered correctly, her modus operandi on her contracts was that they should be able to eventually replace her should they reach that point. Shooting one of his main reasons for living, and the one who had kept him alive after the war could have ruined their relationship and Lelouch knew that CC had few options open to her since Mao was still skulking about.

"Miss CC was it? I don't believe I caught your first name." Lelouch began, thoroughly enjoying the cloak-and-dagger act with CC who was, for all intents and purposes, trapped. "I apologize for Prince Clovis, though I think his half-brother has driven him to amateur alcoholism with his penchant for madness, if that means anything to you of course." He smirked, and was disappointed by her poker face looking back at him.

CC, or Celtica if he recalled that moment at Narita correctly, smirked in response and cuddled up to Suzaku. "You may just call me CC. Though if I may say so, keeping your name was rather sentimental, Suzaku Kururuig." She said. "You can't let go of the past, unlike your friend here. William, a brilliant alias if I may say so, though getting Gottwald to agree must have been difficult."

' _So Gottwald knew of CC before mother died then. Or is she just playing with what C's World told her.'_ Lelouch shook his head. "Obviously you know who I am, Celtica." CC stiffened at the sound of her name, glaring daggers at Lelouch now and Suzaku looked on in interest at this additional piece of information. "Don't say anything, our mutual friend upstairs told me all about you. Your secret is safe with me."

The lime-haired immortal regarded the young man before her, and saw a spark she recognized long ago, at least before her death. "So the people's prince survived after all." She smirked. Lelouch opened a mouth to respond before she stopped him. "You know my identity, I know yours, I'm not going to go telling. I happened to like Marianne."

With that, she lay down on the lap of Suzaku, seemingly determined to irritate him as she was so often inclined to do. Simply shaking his head, Lelouch swept out of the room with this latest piece of information. "We'll be in touch, CC." he said as he left his best friend in the clutches of his fellow immortal.

* * *

It was a strange day for Marika Sorsei to see her princess so unusually flustered. Meeting with the son of the Gottwald family had changed her somewhat, she had become . . . tired. Juniper Au Britannia, the protégé of Prince Schneizel, one of the most skilled diplomats in the empire despite her age, was infatuated with some noble brat. Marika conceded that the boy was somewhat handsome, with something of a quiet power that the emperor himself and many of his children had, but couldn't shake that there was something wrong here.

He seemed on-edge, wary even of the nobles, but then again nobles were one giant pack of wild beasts in extravagant clothes, in her view at the very least. Her purist brother was no exception, discriminating against blood and status when they themselves were beaten by what they considered lesser beings. Smirking at her brother's expense, she turned her mind back to the file of the young man before her.

William Gottwald was raised as a child in Area Eleven when the isles were still known as Japan, attending primary school prior to the invasion and secondary school in the homeland during and after, returning to the partner high school of his father's company. No criminal record bribed away or otherwise, a rare gem if anything, a noble worthy of the title. Marika fought to hide the smirk as she stared the young man down after he had graced her charge with a kiss to the hand, then again it could also be the urge not to punch him in the face for daring to do so.

Coughing lightly, the princess disengaged from the conversation with haste, muttering something about needing to meet other people and to enjoy the evening. Trailing after her charge turned best friend, the young knight-of-honor followed the princess back into the fray of the evening, warding off glares with a stern glance at them, something difficult considering her small frame. "Marika! Dear sister, how have you been?" she heard her brother to the side, smirking as he chatted with a pair of starry-eyed ladies, no doubt regaling them with tales of his exploits.

"Brother Kewel." She said stiffly, narrowing his eyes at her brother, a shining example of what the empire was, bluster and propaganda. Shaking her head slightly at the treasonous thought, she put on a smile that seemingly placated him. She wished she was able to wear her knight uniform at that moment, she frowned at herself, seventeen years of age and even her princess had a better figure than she did.

Her brother had the same strawberry blond hair she did, but kept his in a military regulation haircut despite being a Knightmare pilot, ace being a term liberally used among Purist members didn't mean they were that good. He stood a good two heads taller than her and wore a lazy smirk that her friends in basic had used to fawn over. Wearing a fitted suit and tie, he was the picture of a perfect gentleman, while she seemed plain by comparison to her well-endowed mother and cousins.

Kewell gave her a smile, seemingly drawing the ire of the two women at his side. "Don't be that way." He said, gesturing to the bottles of wine and champagne at his table. "Come, drink with the next future Knight of the Round."

Flushing in anger, she said, "I have a job to do, just because you beat back a few terrorists doesn't make you the next Knight of One." She scowled, turning back as she went to find Princess Juniper. "I must get back to my princess."

"You'll never beat me sister; I was always the better than you at everything." She heard Kewell call after her and a hand grab her shoulder, where he was standing. "At least I didn't kill mother." He smirked, walking away with a casual wave.

 _How that bastard dare bring it up,_ she thought angrily, brushing past various nobles in her brief moment of anger. _A baby doesn't choose something like that to happen. It's not my fault._ She said, bumping into one of the many in the crowd, and felt the coldness of a spilled drink on her face. Everything was silent for what seemed like an eternity. A man, William Gottwald's companion, James Stadfeld, looked shocked at having played a part in her public embarrassment.

"I apologize, my lady. I'm afraid I didn't see you there." He said, holding a hand out to her, pulling her to her feet. "I didn't expect us to meet like this again. I'll escort you out, it's the least I can do." He said, taking his jacket off and draping it around her shoulders as various nobles began to mutter and smirk at her predicament. How one so young dared to be so important and trusted in the court was almost scandalous to the older nobles, something like this was felt like it was just desserts for her.

Saying nothing, she allowed herself to be led out after sighing, trying to sound irritated or upset rather than relieved. As they left, some of the purple liquid reached her mouth. Strangely, some of the droplets tasted like salt.

* * *

A/N:

Finally!

My most sincere apologies everyone, midterm week is over for me. I'm a free woman again! At least until my next batch of project starts up. I hope you didn't think I died or anything, but algebra and logarithms called me away from writing for the time I didn't write. I wrote a few hundred words here and there, but was too nervous about papers to worry about this. I'm back on, one chapter every few days until finals at the end of the month. I'm ready to continue and to put what might be a wreck of a math exam behind me.

User: Republic, I apologize, but please refrain from advertising other stories here, while I appreciate the thought, I've resolved to not read other CG fanfics until this one is done. Don't want to accidentally steal ideas here. Hope you understand. Oh, and sorry the chapters are short, just like me and my attention span. However, I'm trying to lengthen the chapters bit by bit. Bear with me on this one.

Everyone else thanks for following this story and hitting that favorite for either me or my work. Hope I don't disappoint, don't be shy to comment or drop me ideas of what you want to see.

Frustrated beyond reason, but ready to write!

ZE


	14. Chapter 10: Before the Storm

_._

 _The series of events known as the Uprising, which would later lead to the rise of the so-called Immortal Emperor of Britannia, began on the twentieth of September with the Second Purge of Shinjuku Ghetto. Seventeenth Prince Herod Myr Britannia was the leader of the taskforce that would go down in infamy by killing over forty percent of the civilians within the Ghetto. Fifteenth Princess Juniper Au Britannia, acting by imperial mandate by the Emperor Charles, commissioned the Hyperion group's Legion to protect the civilians and detain the army forces commandeered by Herod labeled as rogue forces against the crown._

 _Hyperion Legion_

 _Commanded by: William J. Gottwald, Captain James N. Stadtfeld_

 _Knightmares: 55 RPI-13 Sutherland / 15 HLA-03 Liberator / ZG-01 Lancelot / HLA-03X Valiant / Unknown Red Knightmare Frame "Red Devil"_

 _Herod's Army & Area 11 Garrison_

 _Commanded by: Herod Myr Britannia, Sir Luciano Bradley_

 _Knightmares: 100 RPI-13 Sutherland / 24 RPI-209 Gloucester / RPI-209A Gladiator_

 _Acronyms:_

 _RPI: Royal Panzer Infantry_

 _HLA: Hyperion Legion Armor_

 _ZG:Zeta-Group_

* * *

Hello everyone,

ZE here, with a few changes to the story format I wanted to test out. The segments are more numerous, but shorter, much like an anime or TV show. I've also put the Author's Note on the top so I can explain the changes to you all just in case you find the formatting strange. It's only for this chapter, unless you all prefer it this way, then I can make the change from 2-4 medium to long segments to 6-8 shorter segments. Bear with me while I test the new format out.

Hope you enjoy, for now, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Herod stood from the cockpit of his Gladiator, the customized Gloucester more angular and altogether more menacing, parading at the head of a column of Britannian Knightmares. A hundred Sutherlands rolled behind him and two dozen Gloucesters acting as command units for his army. The force that had originally entered the ghetto was only about an eighth of the forces displayed now and the hundred or so men behind the prince were thirsty for blood, and Herod was only too happy to oblige.

Several media vans rolled along, Herod wanted the film crews to display the grisly work done in the name of the empire. His half-sister was too soft, and that Gottwald was only putting ideas of peace in her head. Clovis was humiliated, but that was only the cover, all he really wanted was blood to flow. The crews in the van were clad in infantry armor, though a good Knightmare round wouldn't be bothered by something like Kevlar. "My prince, it is time for your address." The prince's comm device crackled, and the voice of Clovis's PR manager, one Diethard Ried said.

Grinning, the bloodthirsty prince raised a fist and the crowds lining the street, chosen by Diethard's team to be good, patriotic Britannians, cheered. "Two days." He began, grinning towards the exit gates to the Settlement, where beyond lay the dilapidated mess that was the ghettos. "My brother, Clovis La Britannia, was disgraced by the animals beyond these walls." He said, rattling off the names of the knights who died of their injuries or on the battlefield from the skirmish two days ago. "They are the empire's finest warriors, taken in their prime by the animals on the other side of this wall."

The gates rumbled open, and for a moment, the Eleven population looked as the hundred or so knightmares loomed over them as they milled about outside. "Kill them all, avenge our fallen, All Hail Britannia!" he roared, entering his knightmare as the crowds roared their approval and the purge began anew with screams and gunfire filling the air around them as the knightmares charged out of the gates.

* * *

"Oh my God." Chihiro breathed, covering her mouth with her hands, staring in horror as the massacre of her people, the Japanese, was being televised like some sporting event to the world. The first thing she remembered doing was run to her office and emptied the contents of her lunch into it as the images were broadcasted in their full, unadulterated horror.

The rest of her team in Demeter were all wide-eyed, though some were Britannian, she could hear then gasping in horror as she was. Atrocities weren't limited to one race, they affected everyone. "Hannah, get Kallen on the phone, William and Naoto need to hear about this." Chihiro managed shakily as her friend and assistant tore her eyes away from the grisly scene unfolding.

It seemed only mere moments after the call that a familiar redhead was walking to Chihiro, her eyes puffy as though she'd been crying, which in all likelihood was the truth. "Chi . . . the Britannians, I'm sorry." She said through gritted teeth, looking both terrified and worried. "That bastard royal is going to get what's coming to him. That much, at least, I can promise you."

* * *

In the command center of Legion, for the second time this week, Lelouch was both disgusted by Herod's actions, and silently thanking Herod for giving him the opportunity to both be rid of a candidate to the throne and a figure the Japanese would hate for a long time to come. He never voiced either opinion out loud, mostly because it would be tactless of him to celebrate a key moment when so many Japanese were dying right outside.

Ordinarily, he would be all over the situation, but for now he would play his part. Intervening in a military matter, no matter how much he hated it, was treason against the crown and Lelouch couldn't risk it. _Not for now at least_ , Lelouch thought grimly as he was forced to watch the scene unfold. "We have to do something." Naoto grimaced beside him, slamming his fist onto a solid portion of the console that Lelouch had placed there specifically for that reason. "Gottwald, give the order. We need to stop this madness."

Shaking his head, Lelouch turned to Naoto. "As much as I'd like to kill Herod, believe me when I say there's nothing I'd want more than for his head to be on a pike in a box on the way to the emperor, our hands are officially tied here." He said. "With this as an 'approved military exercise to quell the rebellious elements into submission', Legion as an organized unit cannot do anything with our power. A bloodthirsty, vicious maniac he may be, he's a clever maniac."

"My thoughts exactly, on the last note at least." Came a voice from behind. The twenty or so men and women within Legion command turned as the voice spoke again. "William Gottwald, in the name of my father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, I call upon you as a servant of the people and loyal vassal to the empire. Stop this madness, save the Japanese people from my brother." Juniper said in her most commanding tone, which Lelouch had to admit was similar to his Zero persona's flair for the dramatic.

Inwardly, Lelouch grinned, he had gotten through to her after all. Smirking at Naoto, who looked both enraged and overjoyed at being given the order to destroy Herod's army, Lelouch swept back into a deep bow, genuflecting at his younger half-sister. "Yes, your highness, it will be as you say." He said solemnly, not allowing his face to betray his intentions. "Will you be staying for the duration of the operation?" he inquired as he stood.

The remaining twenty-six staff all knelt, including Naoto, and made the same pledge, remaining in a kneeling position until Juniper bid them rise with a regal wave. "If I will not be too much trouble." She conceded. "I know little of military matters; I usually leave my guard detail with my Knight." Juniper said, nodding to where Marika stood a little behind and to her left.

"Lady Sorsei, is this acceptable then?" Lelouch asked, smiling as Marika glanced at Naoto briefly before nodding. "Splendid, I assume you can keep operational secrecy, because I need your clearance on a little project of mine."

Frowning, both princess and knight briefly wondered how sane William Gottwald was, he didn't seem to notice his maddened grin. "May I inquire as to the nature of your project?" Juniper asked, feeling more uncomfortable by the second as William's grin widened to almost Cheshire levels. ' _Why do I get the feeling I will regret this?'_ she frowned.

"If you will follow me, Juniper." Lelouch grinned, holding out his hand for her, making the younger viceroy blush and her knight scowl. "Come along James, we have some testing to do." He almost sang, but then again, given the circumstances, it was understandable. Naoto briefly wondered if Lelouch was spending too much time around Lloyd Asplund.

* * *

The affectionately named Earl of Pudding sneezed once as he tinkered on his latest pet project, the new viceroy's older brother had taken Gladiator from him before the customized Gloucester could have its full diagnostics run. _A pity if something were to happen to him, but then again the Gladiator wasn't really meant for field combat, just dueling between the proud roosters that called themselves nobles_ , Lloyd thought to himself as he continued on running the diagnostics for the Liberators. "If only I still had access to my Lancelot, it would be so much easier to repair the user interface system." He groused, running what seemed like the tenth check in as many hours, if Cecile saw him now he was a dead man.

No time like the present for the self-proclaimed mad scientist, for it was at that moment the doors opened and he feigned sleep, fearing Cecile would reprimand him yet again for working for the last ten hours straight. How she could not understand that coffee was sufficient to keep him awake as he worked and that he didn't need sleep was beyond him. Science was everything. "And this is our science department, you can see one of the brains in its natural habitat. James, go pour some water on our dear Asplund if you would." Lloyd Asplund knew that voice, the big spender for all his little projects, Gottwald's kid.

"No need for any of that, my lord." Lloyd said, seemingly startling the other two guests. He'd locked himself in for the past three days since the diagnostic run from Kururugi's Liberator had a hiccup in the pilot-to-suit interface that had nearly gotten him killed. If anything, his pride wouldn't let the glitch remain, much to Cecile's chagrin at his habit of staying up late to finish the project. "Princess Au Britannia? Fancy seeing you in the company of my young benefactor, ever since the viceroy shut down Lancelot, I've been working ceaselessly to surpass the old system."

William Gottwald shook his head and nodded to the princess. "Leave it to you to call a state-of-the-art Knightmare old, your own state-of-the-art knightmare if I might add. How long have you been locked in here? I'm surprised your gir . . . associate hasn't filed another complaint to get you suspended to rest yourself."

"You know that I wouldn't accept, or I'd end up working anyway." Asplund replied, standing and bowing to the princess. "Dr. Lloyd Asplund, made an earl through my efforts on the Sutherland and Gloucester programs, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Looking at the earl for a moment, Juniper wondered how she had managed to meet such a colorful group as she did. It would have to do however. "You complained about the Lancelot being in military custody? If so, you have my permission to retrieve the frame and all assets necessary for its full performance. Wil~ Gottwald, I assume you have capable pilots in your R&D teams capable of piloting the frame? Have them read the manual. Earl Asplund, how soon can you get the Lancelot to the massacre zone?"

"Thirty minutes, your highness." he answered evenly.

"I'll have the roads cleared for you, be there in twenty. Captain Stadtfeld, how many men do you have on standby?" she asked, and not for the first time, Lelouch wondered where that seemingly timid girl had gone.

"Thirty available Sutherlands, two hundred special operations forces, as well as Asplund's Lancelot." He replied, glancing at his tablet to make sure he got the numbers right. He had sent the call out to the Legion when he first got message from his sister, the numbers would only rise as the remaining members reported in for duty. "Along with Gottwald and Asplund's special project." He added.

"What special project?" she asked.

* * *

Lelouch could not understand why he had accepted Suzuki's offer to join the counteroffensive. Her skills were just below her brother's and had exceptional reflexes, by all rights she was a perfect candidate for the Guren's maiden battle. Her brother would be busy in the Lancelot and Naoto was more suited as a commander than a hunter. Where she lacked in skill, she made up for in determination, few other times had Lelouch seen someone struggle with an experimental unit and still get it to move than Suzuki did.

True, she was hotheaded and immature . . . and loved to brag, "Hmm, why did I allow her to pilot it again?" he muttered to himself, noting Naoto's just as worried expression. "Where is she anyway?"

The arming ramp for the Special Corps as it was labeled, was a spare garage converted by Asplund and Rakshatta into a knightmare hangar. Floodlights kept the area brightly lit and the technicians scurrying among the Liberators for final diagnostic runs, while down below the experimental pilots were being briefed on the new upgrades to their frames. "~ finally, synapse interface." Their commander, affectionately called Master by the test pilots, spoke.

"Royalty! Everyone, look alive!" Naoto barked, the pilots and Master snapping to quick attention as the viceroy walked into the room. Looking around, he nodded and stepped to the side as Juniper made her way to the observation deck.

Taking a deep breath that wasn't missed by Naoto, Lelouch, or Marika, she started. "At ease." She spoke, silently marveling at the discipline shown by a private armed service as they relaxed their position but their backs remained straight and hands clasped behind their backs. "You will all know me by now, Juniper Au Britannia, princess royal of the Holy Britannian Empire. I see among your group Numbers of conquered nations, but the fact that you are here is a testament to how wrong our empire's way of thinking is." She said.

From quiet murmuring, the room went deathly silent, and her knight looked on in both wonder and confusion. Had Juniper's silent front merely been a façade to a more outspoken thinker? Or was she doing this to gain the affection of the pilots? Frowning, she contented herself to remaining silent and simply watching as William Gottwald's grin grew from a sly smirk to a wider smile, somewhat smug but understanding in his eyes. His companion didn't bother hiding his surprise, his eyes wide and mouth open, understandable due to the current situation.

"I must request your silence on my current views, but I am thankful that I have managed to keep them hidden as long as I have and that I have become viceroy of an area that has never truly submitted to our rule. Strange as it sounds, I'm honored to be among such talented pilots such as yourself." Lelouch quirked an eyebrow and nodded approvingly.

"She didn't use the title of knight. A point for her already." He noted, Naoto nodding as well while Marika frowned. A knight was a title of great honor, for it meant being the tip of the empire's spear and its bulwark against her enemies. She didn't miss the approving cheer from the men.

"But a knight is the highest honor for a soldier to aspire for." Marika started, before William cut her off.

"And yet these men are not soldiers or knights, not in your sense. A knight swears allegiance to his lord, but what is a knight who follows a lord they loathe? A coward, or a traitor?" Lelouch said evenly, his smile gone. "They are knights, but those that do not adhere to any lord, but protect the weak and innocent. Black knights, those without oaths of loyalty but with a sense of honor that cannot be bought or sold."

Composing herself once more, she smiled at them, no prejudice or fear in her eyes. "I call upon you, not as servants of the empire, but as knights for justice to protect the weak. Be their shield against my brother, and if need be, by order from both me and my father, the sword of their retribution."

The cheers fell silent, and all froze as they realized the gravity of her words. The retribution of the people, they were being allowed, no, commanded to do so. "There's no way she just said that. The emperor is controlling, but not this cruel." Marika breathed as the assembled specialists saluted, with a formal salute, the arm at a 45 degree angle and ramrod straight.

"Yes, my lady!" the gathered men and woman cheered as Lelouch looked on in interest at this latest development.

* * *

 _A/N Part 2:_

 _Hello everyone, how did you enjoy the chapter? Leave a comment or drop me a message if you have any questions._

 _The writing style changed a little bit from my earlier chapters, so I'm wondering how you all like the shorter segments. I'm planning to ramp the chapters up to 4000-5000 words starting Chapter 15, but with finals around the corner, I'll be a bit slow on the updates until the storm passes. This chapter's been a bit long in coming through because my computer rig panicked with my sisters downloading One Direction songs again, and to nobody's surprise, more viruses. I think I'm glad that I never got into that phase, glad I didn't, between boardgames, Magic: The Gathering, and books, I'd have no money for either college or my computer._

 _Meanwhile, why have I never heard of Skyrim until now? The game is so much fun, and the BF helped me mod the game, I might just write about my Dragonborn's various misadventures along with this story. I'll try not to overload either story with Mary Sues, but since I play an Illusion-Conjuration alchemist, no promises there. I did accidentally kill myself with Jarrin Root, but that's another story altogether._

 _Until next time,_

 _ZE_


	15. Chapter 11: Proving Strength

_._

 _Yeah, we killed a lot of Britannian soldiers, orders were orders. Not the first vagabond Legion had to put down; from cartel leaders and pirate kings to drug pushers and smugglers, you name it, we've probably killed them by this point. I can't blame my Eleven pilots for being fanatical in killing the 'rogue elements' of the Britannian military. This was their home, these people their friends and fellow countrymen, I couldn't blame them for their anger. Hell, I was just as angry as they are._

 _Commander James N. Stadfteld  
Legion – First Company_

* * *

Sirens blared as the arming ramps for the first company of Legion came alive with the bustle of activity, technicians and pilots scurrying around performing final checks or relaying final instructions. "Get those Sutherlands ready to sortie! Anti-Knightmare loadouts; high-caliber AP rounds and Knight Sabers, aim for the torso or the head." Naoto roared over the din, zipping up his own flight suit and attaching his helmet and earpiece. "You boys are outnumbered nearly two-to-one, I don't want to be the one to write all those letters of condolences to your families that you died, that's why I have all of you." He said, to the laughter of most of the experienced pilots.

"Captain, nice to see you in such a good mood, how are the men doing?" Lelouch grinned, the princess trailing behind him and inspecting the standard Sutherlands arming for anti-Knightmare combat. In the day and age that tacticians dubbed the slugfest of modern warfare, the more Knightmare analogues a side had, the better chance they had of winning since the only weapon that could destroy a Knightmare was another one. "The princess wanted to talk to you, since you so rudely left after her speech."

Naoto sighed and cast a glare at his friend and boss before turning to the princess and bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness. James Stadtfeldt, son of Earl Robert Stadtfeldt." The redhead observed the princess before him, likely no older than Lelouch, who carried herself with a noticeably false determined expression ever since her speech.

Returning the bow with a slight curtsey, she nodded. "Juniper will work for now, or princess if you're trying to be formal, it's not like I'm next in line for the throne." The princess quipped, surprising the two men and her knight trailing behind her. She definitely attempted to carry herself with more confidence than earlier, the three thought, as she frowned. "I wasn't lying, I have no idea of what's about to happen. I've only studied tactics from books and videos; I might be throwing the lives of your men away with my selfish request."

"With all due respect, princess, don't insult my comrades." Naoto said, startling the princess from her musing, Lelouch from his planning, and the knight from scanning the row of Liberators. "We aren't doing this for you, like you said; it's for the people of Japan that are still suffering. You've just given us a chance to do so without my boss having to smooth things over with the empire."

"That was harsh, James." Lelouch said as he handed back a data pad to one of the many technicians. "Our primary target is cutting a swathe through central district; we can cut them off with attack plan Excelsior."

The squad leaders that had gathered around thus far were now nodding. The princess noted with no small amount of surprise on her face that over half the squad leaders were Numbers, many of whom were former Japanese. "Sir, I'd like permission to lead the anvil force. That's our home the royal bastard is burning down, my men and I want payback." One of the men said, and for a moment, she thought that either James or William would reprimand or strike the eager man.

"You're Operative Kobayashi, right?" Lelouch asked with a feral grin, which the man responded to with a smirk. "You'll need more than your anti-Knightmare rifles, you're authorized to deploy in Liberator squad three, get your men ready." The man replaced his expression with a grim-faced nod and called the four men directly under him, the four falling into step as a pair of technicians diverted to them and began reprograming their helmets to accept the Liberator's input signals.

The princess looked quizzically again at the two men as they continued to dole out orders and directions to squad leaders who began dispersing to call up their pilots and began their own briefing. "He really is something else, isn't he?" James grinned at the princess's amazed expression at how much more confident he was at ordering me than she was.

"That he is." She mused as James bowed towards her. Citing his need to get his own squad ready, James marched off to call out to the five pilots running diagnostics on their own Liberator knightmares.

It seemed like nothing else could surprise Juniper at this point, from revealing her true feelings about the empire to the ultimatum of capturing or killing her own half-brother and requesting the aid of a private military contractor that the empire did not approve of because they hired Numbers at the same rate of pay as Britannian soldiers. It was then she bumped into the short girl with a mix of Oriental and Britannian features.

* * *

The command bunker was filled with the command staff members, Lelouch himself sitting in a throne-like seat that was covered in glass panels with information streaming down them, and the confused knight and princess. "All Knightmare teams prepare for deployment. Use entry patterns bravo through foxtrot and cut off their main advance. Nobunaga Squad, use anti-emplacement rounds for your cannons and burn through the support structure of the secondary and tertiary pillars. Kobayashi squad, prepare to hold your ground at point D7 just behind their rearmost units. Civilian evacuations are clear through D8 through D11, weapons free and shoot to kill."

The flash of green on the fifteen ordered units signaled their readiness, orders began streaming in as tactical offices began formulating plans to lock the Britannian death squads between the river and the evacuated area of the ghetto. Each of their orders is followed, each combat squad performing at optimal levels as they slowly began to take their toll on the Britannian forces.

Outside, the crimson blur that was the Guren speared a Sutherland through with a lance as it fired its cannon into the leg of a second. "Those damn Brits." Suzuki growled, unleashing another barrage of shots as she retrieved another lance from a disabled Sutherland, throwing it at a Britannian gunship and causing its fuel cells to rupture and combust. "This is Red Demon, five Sutherlands down. Two Legion casualties, one confirmed ejection." She reported; ducking behind a building as a Gloucester fired its rifle at her.

A single round tore through the air and shredded the Gloucester's cockpit as the Guren was momentarily exposed by dealing with a pair of Sutherlands that appeared behind her. "Careful Suzuki, don't get cocky." Naoto's voice reminded the young ace as she retook control of the Guren and sped off towards her next set of coordinates.

The Guren's radiant surge caused a Sutherland to disappear in a massive conflagration as she leapt over a second Sutherland and depositing three rounds in its factsphere and both legs before the claw arm gouged out the sensors of a third and ripped into its torso with four barking shots. "Two more casualties, one is still alive." She reported as two more vitals dropped from her uplink, though one remained in the green.

"Red Demon, primary target sighted four blocks ahead, Kirigaya and Tetsuo squads are being pushed back. Please utilize the highlighted map and assist in breaking them out, target enemy squads in general vicinity. Liberator squad Heliod is on its way to assist you." Her operator noted as she followed the trail highlighted by her helmet's haptic interface and sped off to blow off the legs of a Sutherland while spearing the back of another's cockpit with the Guren's talons.

In the command center, Juniper couldn't help but gape at the dexterity shown by the young girl she'd bumped into on the deployment deck. She recalled the petite brunette as she slipped on her flight suit and helmet, the stylized claw on the back of her suit catching her attention. She'd brushed her off with a quick, 'out of my way' shouted at her and an irate knight to deal with as the girl mounted the lone crimson Knightmare on its arming rack.

"All squads, tighten the noose, where is Earl Asplund? I needed the Lancelot on the ground fifteen minutes ago!" Lelouch shouted over the din as reports came flooding back. Casualties were remarkably low, in their bloodlust, the Britannians were armed with anti-infantry loadouts and their rifles were largely ineffective against the heavily armored variant frames of Legion.

"Our forces are pushing the Britannian forces back to the Settlement walls. Casualties are within acceptable parameters, sixty percent of Britannian frames are nonfunctional or have surrendered." An officer announced, to general relief as Lelouch called for order as the remaining forces were hell bent on firing at anything that moved at this point.

"We're not yet out of the woods yet gentlemen. Have Peters and Kaltenbrunner's squads take down the G1. All forces block exit routes for the Britannian army except for the path along 1-7 to the settlement. Hunter squads, focus on disabling, concussive and scramblers, bring them down." Lelouch ordered as the battlefield quickly redrew itself to a corridor that Britannian soldiers were charging down in an effort to escape the highly trained Legion operatives. "Intercept at the determined locations. Red Demon, primary target is heading in your direction now."

* * *

The Guren ducked under the swing of a Gloucester's blade, its arm cannon barking twice before running dry as it sheared off the Gloucester's arm and its claw triggered the ejection mechanism, sending the pilot to relative safety. Reloading, Suzuki took the Guren under a bridge as a pair of rockets streaked towards her, detonating against concrete rather than red steel.

A pair of Sutherlands was wrecked as three Legion Sutherlands deployed their batons and wrecked their sensors and controls with a single swift pass. One was rendered into scrap as the lead opposition, a bulky, more armored version of the Gloucester wielding a two-handed mace and the Lancelot's energy shield. "I am Herod, son of your conqueror. Kneel and die, filthy Eleven!" the frame designated Gladiator by Earl Asplund roared, shaking his mace as he crushed a second frame with a backhand swing.

" _Die you damn Brit!"_ Suzuki snarled as she charged the Guren into his escorting frames, ducking the swings of the Gladiator as it bashed its way towards her. She leapt easily over the swings as the vibro-dagger sheared away at the tough composite of the shaft. Spinning in a circle, the mace impacted the radiant surge arm as Suzuki reflexively detonated it to take the mace with it. " _Sorry, Rakshatta."_ Suzuki muttered sheepishly as she leapt back as the Gladiator's torso-mounted machine cannons barked.

"Stay still and die, dog!" the prince roared as he caught the Guren's cannon arm in one of its blocky fists and Suzuki's slash harken caught the Gladiator's other arm and sheared it off at the elbow joint as her cannon barked and smashed the Gladiator's factsphere before it too was ripped off.

A spinning kick shattered the Gladiator's cannons as its remaining arm shattered the Guren's head, blinding half the cockpit. _"You won't beat me!"_ Suzuki shouted, kneeing the Gladiator and deploying the anchor pylon designed for emergency stoppage in case of falling off a building, the solid metal spike lancing through the armored cockpit and skewering its cockpit block before it could eject.

Sighing in relief, Suzuki let her shoulders sag as the spike retracted and both Guren and Gladiator toppled to the ground. "Well, well. Looks like the little Eleven ace managed to stop the Butcher. I always did like taking the glory. I think I'll kill you slowly." Suzuki heard, her eyes widening as a Gloucester's lance stabbed into the Guren's torso.

Cursing her stupidity, Suzuki fired the anti-infantry gun in vain as the white-red Gloucester's arm flipped the Guren like a tortoise, leaving the cockpit block exposed. Pulling the release lever, she was treated to a system failure that had her in tears as the Gloucester began prying the cockpit block open.

 _"Get your hands off my sister!"_ Suzuki heard her brother broadcast over all channels, the Lancelot leaping from its vantage point to the ground as he drew the two MVS blades. "Your opponent is me." Suzaku answered, this time in English to the Vampire, who withdrew his lance and spun it around, extending the prongs outward.

The Lancelot leapt into action as three Legion Sutherlands recovered the Guren, Suzaku glanced back to make sure his sister was safe as he parried the thrust of the Knight of Ten. _"If I can beat the Knight of Ten, then this battle is over."_ He told himself, sliding under the thrust and cut the lance apart with a swing of the MVS.

Wheeling backwards, the Vampire drew his own sword and knocked one of the Lancelot's swords away, deftly dodging the following slash harken attack. Say what you will about the Vampire, Suzaku thought grimly, he isn't one of the twelve strongest knights of the empire without reason or has the other moniker of the Genius of Homicide.

The Lancelot flipped as he dodged a barrage of shots from the knight's rifle, deflecting a tossed chaos mine into the rubble as he parried the sword and launched a slash harken that took off the right arm of the vampire's frame. Lunging at the Lancelot, Bradley's Gloucester was knocked away by a thrown slab of concrete, courtesy of the Lancelot's spin kick.

The duel continued even as the remaining area of the ghetto collapsed around them, harkens deflected into rubble, weapons battered into non-functionality and scuffs and scratches became dents as the two ace pilots fought each other to a standstill. _"Naoto, this guy's good. What the hell are you doing?"_ Suzaku grumbled into the coms as he led the Vampire of Britannia through the streets, ducking and weaving around his pursuer.

Both knightmares lost their swords in the earlier mess, switching to slabs of metal and concrete that came to hand as they dueled in the shattered ruins of the ghetto. Long ago had the ceasefire been ordered by the surviving knights of Herod myr Britannia's guard, surrendering to Legion custody as the Vampire's frame roared its hate for the numbers and spat profanities at Suzaku who was concentrating on weaving around the Vampire's furious combination of attacks.

Evenly matched, Suzaku found himself being pushed back by the sheer tenacity of the Knight of Ten. "Go to hell, Eleven dog!" Luciano shouted as he fired both harkens and knocking the Lancelot against a wall, where the harken boosters fired off and damaged the knight's frame further.

Down to twenty percent, Suzaku grimaced, the shield arm flickering and dying as he blocked another chaos mine. A beep let him know that Naoto was in position as Suzaku located a Sutherland's discarded combat blade. Suzaku let the Lancelot fall to the ground as the Vampire of Britannia loomed over him, confident in his victory.

The sniper round tore through the frame's remaining arm and factsphere as the Lancelot grabbed the jagged shard of metal and pierced the cockpit block with the satisfying shriek and crunch of metal as it sunk to its hilt.

* * *

Lelouch couldn't be happier, aside from major damage to the Guren and the loss of twenty frames of first company's knightmares and two of his remaining Liberators; he had managed to remove two potentially dangerous pieces from his opposition. "Princess, I believe that concludes our agreement. You may leave." He said, tired from command and weary at the thought of all the questions he'd get about his pilots. It wasn't every day that a pair of unknown pilots managed to defeat two of the more accomplished warriors in the Britannian army.

"Will you be alright, Sir Gottwald?" Juniper inquired; a new respect and a healthy or perhaps not-so healthy infatuation for the young commander. She admitted that he cut a rather noble figure dictating the flow of battle as he spun the elaborate web that trapped the Britannian forces in kill zones and traps.

Shaking his head, the young man before her gave a loud sigh. "I have to inform fifteen families of the deaths of their relations and the remaining injured to look after. The press is going to be all over me since I've not only had a hand in pulling a Marathon level victory, but killed a prince of the empire and one of the emperor's personal twelve knights. I can imagine the stress already." He groaned, sitting back up in his chair, he regarded the princess.

True, she was in some grief over the death of her brother. She couldn't blame herself; her father had specifically ordered it to be so. He was a threat that would have destabilized the empire and let the Chinese Federation attack Japan under the guise of peacekeepers. She didn't even want to think about the death toll in the ghettos and loss of popularity of the army.

Juniper surprised herself and found that she wasn't too sad about her demented half-brother's demise. She definitely wouldn't miss Bradley, who ogled her despite her being too young for the older knight. Something about the taste of unripe fruits, he had said. She curtseyed and left, citing her own need to prepare a speech for her brother's death. Her father was definitely going to force her to marry William Gottwald at this point, no way was he going to let a master tactician slip through his fingers. She sighed, things could be worse after all.

* * *

A/N:

Hello again everyone, I'm checking and rechecking the old chapters before I continue with the story. Yes, you read right, Fate Reforged is back. I'm mostly over the entire ordeal and I'm happy to announce that I'm taking things one step at a time. You've all been by my side since the beginning, and I won't let what happened rule and ruin my life any longer. Hopefully, you haven't abandoned this story just yet. I can't promise consistent updates, but rest assured, I'm back and committed to at least finishing R0. Where I go from there is up for debate, though I'd like to finish the initial book and its sequel that finishes the timeline's differences up to the end of Code Geass.

Arilia


	16. Chapter 12: Unforeseen Complication

_The Second Battle for Shinjuku Ghetto was one of the most debilitating blows to Britannian presence in the Asian theater. A loss of nearly half the garrison's forces and the deaths of its two commanders left the Britannian Army in chaos as none of the remaining commanders had experience in anything over company level command. Viceroy Juniper Au Britannia declared a state of emergency as the Chinese Federation began making noise over the human rights violation and began mobilizing a task force disguised as relief aid. Princess Au Britannia called them out, citing the recent massacre of revolutionaries in their protectorates. Needless to say, the events of that day put Britannia on a path that nobody could ever have foreseen._

 _Interview with Sir Thomas Valence, On the Asian Front_

 _Free Britannia Press, 2027_

Narita fortress sat within the area from which it drew its name; a vast sprawling complex of hangars, tunnels, and bunkers. The Britannian military had some inkling of the location of the base, but scouts never got far until units waiting in ambush attacked and destroyed any scout groups. Within the beating heart of the fortress was the main operations room of the ruling council that made up the Japan Liberation Front.

The aging Genbu Kururugi, former prime minister of Japan sat amid the six other individuals present in the bunker. Chief among them was his former top general during the war and leader of the famous Itsukushima Task Force, Kyoshiro Tohdoh. Next to him were the rather infamous Minami brothers, both known as the Ghosts of Hiroshima, nearly all of the JLF knew the pair for their actions following the shelling of the city and their company's body count of invading Britannian infantry were in the high three digits by the time the Britannian army decided to completely level Hiroshima to the ground.

Overall commander of his remaining forces following the fabled stand at Nagasaki, General Tatewaki Katase sat beside the prime minister as the remaining members, two other generals that the former prime minister couldn't remember, squabbled over something between them. "Listen, we've been fighting Britannia for years and not once have we struck a telling blow against them. Now we have this force that manages to kill a Britannian prince that haven't only defeated a majority of Britannia's forces in Japan, but have killed its top combatants and commanders. If there's a time to strike, that time is now."

Katase looked contemplative as one of the Minami Brothers, Tetsuya or Takeo, but Genbu never could tell the two apart anyway as they wore identical uniforms and hairstyles, began his pitch. "We should contact their Japanese members, set up a cell within their ranks if we can. Get a hold of their information, bases, supplies." He noted; toying with a long dagger as the second picked up the first's train of thought. "We can contact your son, prime minister. Our sources say that he's the one piloting that white Knightmare that killed the Vampire."

The conversation continued along the lines of getting JLF members into Legion and getting information from Suzaku for quite some time. Katase looked away for a moment and studied the report he was given. Legion had been in Britannia five years after the invasion began, Hyperion had existed before the invasion began and was one of the major factors that aided in the construction of the settlement core. They didn't get that far by being careless, that much was certain.

"Tohdoh, Suzaku was your student. What do you think we should do?" one of the other two asked, the general was still in his own contemplation. He'd received a request from Suzaku to join Legion, he'd declined, but seeing their results gave him the impression that Legion was definitely a force to be reckoned with. If they were having trouble with Britannian regular forces, then there would be no way for them to win against Legion if they came to blows.

The miracle worker looked at the prime minister before speaking. "Suzaku is an honorable man, there is no way he'd sell out his comrades willingly. He is content the way he is, fighting against Britannia using the system. His benefactor, the Gottwald family and Hyperion group have done what they could to help the Japanese people ever since the occupation began. We'd be fools to incur their wrath or give them reason to stop helping the Japanese if they found out we were plotting against them." He noted, looking at Genbu and shaking his head. "Your daughter is just as strong, but twice as reckless. I didn't have the honor of training her the way I did Suzaku, but she's grown into quite the pilot."

Genbu nodded at this. "I doubt she'll be any more agreeable to help us. She had such a reckless streak as a child, and she's always thought for herself. Not proper for someone like her, but I understand. It's too bad that Britannian prince died then, he could have been a useful pawn against Britannia."

The meeting moved on to other topics, including the arrival of the preproduction Gekka models for field testing, the Indians suffered heavily when Rakshatta became a member of Legion and cut ties with her old group. The cybernetic implants she'd developed were incomplete, and growing them on children churned the stomachs of everyone involved in the process. Though incomplete and far from ideal, Tohdoh had managed to undergo some of the required surgery for the cybernetics.

"How are the implants so far, Tohdoh? Are they as good as Rashid says?" Genbu asked.

Nodding his head, Tohdoh stood. "Aside from the maintenance, they aren't so difficult to get used to. The idea of implanting anything in my body is still disgusting however. If it frees Japan, I'm willing to do it." He said. "I'm needed for further tests on the Gekkas. I must take my leave." Tohdoh bowed and left the meeting area.

Outside, Tohdoh grunted in pain as the implants strained against his neural system, sending him into shivers. "General!" he heard as he leaned against the wall and Asahina put Tohdoh's arm around his shoulder and shouted for Urabe to help him. "Sir, you're pushing yourself too quickly. The implants need time to adjust or you'll burn them out before they can properly adjust to your body."

Shaking his head and waving away a worried Chiba, Tohdoh was led to the medical facility set up by their suppliers from India. The portly man inside waved them in and gave Tohdoh an appraising look and was muttering something as some of the assistants shooed the Holy Swords out of the room as Tohdoh was led to a bed as the tests continued.

"You're joking, right?" Lelouch grumbled, pacing back and forth in the study. His loyal knight, and acting-father figure, Jeremiah Gottwald looked on in a mix of quiet amusement, frustration, and fear at the thought of his master marrying his half-sister. On one hand, the reputation of the Gottwald family would skyrocket, and his sister could finally get the respect she deserved and their parents could stop forcing suitors onto her. On the other, the emperor was aware of Lelouch, or rather William's tactical prowess. "This wasn't supposed to happen, if I'm exposed like this . . . well I haven't done anything to label me a threat to national security, but it's still that man!"

Monica walked into the room, Marianne trailing behind her looking rather sleepy. "Brother? What's going on?" the young girl sniffed, rubbing sleep away from her eyes as the image of her brother and father shouting at each other after a bad dream had woken her up was hardly the way she imagined starting her weekend.

The conversation quickly stopped at the introduction of the youngest member of the household. Lelouch bit his lip as Jeremiah relaxed his stance and sunk back into his chair. "Dad and I were having a discussion." Lelouch said calmly as the young girl walked from the door of the study to where Lelouch was now sitting across from Jeremiah. Shaking his head, Lelouch put her in his lap as Jeremiah threaded his fingers together and leaned forward.

"You know we can't ignore the emperor's decree, William." Jeremiah said, replacing Lelouch's name with his alias. "Your sister would have found out sooner or later, I suppose it is better she know now at least." He said, glancing at Monica who set a pot of coffee on the table and passed mugs to the two men.

Lelouch's eyes hardened, "I wouldn't expose Marianne to that den of vipers if it meant the death of me. The emperor can do without another bargaining chip against me." He said simply, holding his sister in all but blood, feeling a pang of longing for his own sister that he hadn't spoken to since showing up bloodied at the Ashford's doorstep all those years ago.

Banishing that trail of thought, Lelouch took a drink and let the caffeine work its way through his system. Jeremiah did much the same after pouring a measure of alcohol from a flask. "He already knows about her, believe me. If not, it's a matter of a simple inquiry. It's not like her birthday is a secret, and then there are her friends in Ashford as well as your own in the high school division despite the fact you're a home-study. We can't ignore the emperor's commands after we've come so far, this was your idea after all."

The outcast prince looked down at the golden-haired bundle of joy as she looked up at him curiously. "Brother, what's going on?" she asked again, not having been answered previously. A glance was shared between husband, wife, and son before agreeing silently. "Answer me." She pouted, crossing her little arms together.

Sighing, Lelouch hugged her despite the child's protests. "Brother is getting married soon, to the princess."

Predictably, the young girl questioned the meaning of marriage first, but then looked excited to have royalty as family, chattering on about having a sister and a new friend. Lelouch at least agreed on that point, that he could have gotten a worse choice of a bride when he recalled some of his other half-sisters. One thing he never did forget was that at one point he'd been arranged to marry Euphemia, as weird as that idea seems at this point in time, the hyper and compassionate pink-haired girl made him shudder at the time as well.

It was so simple back then, Lelouch thought, but at least Marianne isn't against the idea. He sighed, knowing full well that Nunnally would have been. Lelouch's persona of William was well acquainted, but somewhat at odds with Nunnally's Erika. She really had grown; Lelouch found himself musing even as his sister-in-all-but-blood was attempting to get his attention.

Nunnally would have gotten along well with Marianne; that much Lelouch was sure of. Whether Erika and Marianne would get along, especially with her more distant yet somewhat excitable persona compared to Nunnally's much more timid self during Lelouch's original timeline, he could not say. "Brother! Stop ignoring me!" Marianne protested, squirming and twisting to get her brother to recall where he was at the moment.

Letting out a small breath, he patted Marianne's head with a sigh. "Maybe you're right, Mari. Maybe this isn't going to be so bad."

Juniper au Britannia stalked back and forth across the video conference room; the watchful gaze of the emperor hounding her steps and that of her half-brother, and Prime Minister of Britannia, Schneizel assessing her reaction with a neutral look. "You can't just marry me off to whoever you want. Well, you can father, but that's hardly the point. I don't know him, he's smug, condescending, arrogant." She hissed her displeasure as the two men watched her from half a world away.

"Sounds like he'll fit right in then, don't you agree father?" Schneizel noted, watching his half-sister drive herself crazy at the thought of marriage when most girls her age were thinking of which boy they liked or which celebrity they'd like to meet or something.

The emperor's cold glare didn't seem to faze his son as he gave a short, "Watch your tongue boy." His attention turned to Juniper who seemed intent on pacing out a rut into the carpeting with her steps. "Juniper, I've made my decision. His blood is strong, and he is around your age. I'll expect an heir from you in a year or so." The emperor said, before disconnecting.

"I hate our family." Juniper shouted, to Schneizel's infinite amusement. "What kind of father goes and tells his seventeen year old daughter to shag someone she just met? I'm just not ready for that kind of . . . err, intimacy." she groaned, to her knight's displeasure.

The Prime Minister shook his head, raising an eyebrow at the slang; without their father watching, it was easier for his children to express their feelings. "June, it isn't my place to say so, but you should be a bit more open-minded about this. Some of our other siblings have been married off to less . . . savory characters, William Gottwald's reputation is solid."

Ever the good judge of character, Juniper sighed inwardly. "Brother, I'm just . . . worried. With everything that's going on, Japa~ Area Eleven needs a firm hand. Did you get to asking Cornelia? She's one of the few of our sisters I can stand to be around. Let's face it, Herod made a complete fool of himself on international news and left a gigantic hole in our defenses." She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose in irritation and despair.

"Yes, I have . . . have you been into Clovis's personal stores?" Schneizel asked the crumbling form of his usually chipper younger sister. He'd trained her to be ready for any situation, not that anyone could be prepared to be married within a week of actually meeting said person. "What's your name? Sorsei? Make sure she doesn't become an amateur alcoholic before getting married to one of the most influential individuals in Britannia if you would." He sighed, turning around and ending the conversation.

"Yes sir." Marika replied, turning to her charge, who was nursing one of the bottles of whiskey from the shelves and seemingly contemplating drinking the contents straight from the bottle. "Princess, put the bottle down." The young knight sighed, reaching for the bottle. She reflected on the situation, it wasn't just anyone who could see a royal without their usual immovable façade.

Dropping the bottle, Juniper shook her head. "I acted so strong back at the command center, so why can't I bring myself to accept this?" she murmured, resting her head on the cool surface of the desk.

Marika put a hand on her princess's shoulder as the other girl began to doze off. "It's because you're only human, despite everything the empire and the emperor wants you to be, you're still only human."

Suzaku stormed into the infirmary where his sister was currently stationed. "Oh. Brother." Suzuki grinned sheepishly, most of her body covered in bandages or the hospital gown. "Rakshatta says there aren't any problems with the implants."

"T~that isn't my co~, you let that woman stick experimental technology into you?" he growled, running a hand through his hair, but most of his anger diffused by the knowledge that the sultry Indian genius had been poking around inside his sister. "We'll discuss that another time. What were you thinking? You didn't wait for backup, and you almost died back at Shinjuku. I know James has a lot of confidence in your abilities, Lloyd and William think very highly of you, but you aren't ready for this!"

He watched his sister bristle at his observation. "You don't get to make that decision. We all signed on for this. We both chose to join him over father. We both knew the risks following him, and we sure as hell aren't going back on our word now that we've bloodied Britannia's nose." Suzuki snapped, wincing as she moved to face her brother and only succeeded in aggravating her injuries further. One would think that there was utter safety inside a suit of armor that could shrug off glancing hits from tank rounds and missiles, but the fact remained that inertia was a mean mistress. Suzaku made to intercept her, but she pulled back. "Don't! Just don't."

Stopping himself, Suzaku shook his head. "You're being stubborn, Suzuki."

"So are you! Why can't you admit I did a good job!" Suzuki shouted, trembling in anger and tears forming in her eyes. "You hypocrite, I've been in the simulators just as long as you have. I have just as much experience as you do aside from that debacle with CC. Oh don't look so surprised, she's a horrible open secret. What's this?"

Shaking his head, Suzaku turned after throwing the card in her lap. "Invitations and letters. We've both been summoned to the Viceroy's Palace. The empire's taken notice after you killed the massacre prince." He said, emphasizing the words kill and prince. "Oh, and the boss is getting married." Suzaku couldn't help but slip amusement into his voice.

Her shoulders slumped at the initial news, but perked up at the second while frowning. "This being a distraction aside, how is Kallen going to take that emotional bomb?" she grimaced. Kallen was bad enough once a month, discovering her unofficial boyfriend of several years was about to be married off to someone, his half-sister no less, was no doubt going to be a terrifying experience.

"No idea. You at least have an excuse to stay away from her while you're recovering." Suzaku grimaced, shaking his head. He couldn't stay angry at his sister; Lelouch was right about him being protective about her. "Wedding's in a week. Lloyd says he'll have an exo-skin ready for you, so try not to hurt yourself again before then."

A/N:

Merry Christmas from unbearably humid Malaysia, it feels like being shoved into a furnace since the cruise ship is air-conditioned. Right, that's why I haven't updated, I'm currently on a Christmas cruise. The Mariner of the Seas is great, but giving my sister dating advice . . . not so great. She just met the guy and she thinks that they're meant for each other. Maybe I'm just paranoid, or it's from what happened before, but I'm worried about her. I mean I wasn't interested in boys when I was thirteen.

Back to the story, the chapter's rather short, just finished polishing off my Christmas projects and wanted to get this out so I could continue. Reshaping the plot on the fly is rather difficult as I'm not certain I'm continuing this beyond Code Geass. Just some conversations between characters along with a bit of growth and the reveal of Jeremiah and Monica's daughter, wedding night will be a short released sometime else down the line. I don't have the time to write the wedding scene right now. It'll be lightly referenced, and not necessary to understand the story.

A/N from actual upload time:

Ugh, this was supposed to be uploaded earlier! Internet was haywire, now we're in Singapore, so free internet at the hotel. Did I ever mention that I hate shopping?

Hope you all had a great holiday,

Arilia


	17. Chapter 13: Crisis and Secrets

_"_ _Did I know I had just met the man who would unite our world? No. If I had known, I might have sworn my sword to him that day. Charismatic, cunning, and courageous, he is the leader the world needed to unite and I could not see that when we first crossed blades. I saw a man caught between duty and love, and walked the fine line that allowed him to achieve both."_

 _Kyoshiro Tohdoh, Rise of Neo-Britannia: The Vi Britannia Line_

 _Neo-Britannia Publishing, 2102_

* * *

"They're all going to burn. Freedom fighters, more like terrorists." Lelouch grumbled. He'd done everything, gave the Japanese people jobs, helped them rebuild their lives, and still they turned to terrorism. He stalked the room as Juniper frowned at his mutterings and mumblings, clearly concerned or uncomfortable with his words. "If the garrison forces weren't in so much disarray after all that's happened, I'd be asking to send a division to their base."

Juniper raised an eyebrow, "That's partially your fault, offering severance pay for the Honorary Britannian soldiers and restructuring the garrison will do that." She frowned; looking at her husband, it was still rather foreign on her tongue, as he paced the study.

"I didn't ask your opinion." He snarled, making her flinch at his tone. "The last thing we need is the rest of Japan's resistance movement to join forces with the JLF. Without support from the homeland, we cannot hold them for long with the forces we still have." He shook his head, muttering to himself as Juniper sat herself down on the couch across the room. "James, what's the latest news?" Lelouch asked as he glanced towards Naoto who'd brought the news of the hostage situation.

Glancing towards the princess who seemed content to watch the two of them, Naoto began his report. "We have news of over three companies of JLF soldiers from what our scouts can tell. Their armored support consists of two dozen Burai-type frames and eight Ashigaru frames, also according to Rakshatta, three of the linear cannon prototypes, codenamed Raikou." Naoto handed the reports to Lelouch and shrugged towards the princess. "Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on her." Naoto said over his shoulder as he departed.

Lelouch shook his head, it had only been two weeks, but chaos never waited and Legion was needed now more than ever after the debacle that destroyed nearly half the Imperial knightmare forces in Japan. If he wasn't so concerned about keeping Japan afloat, he would have praised himself for taking down a royal and Knight of the Round for such minimal losses. As it stood, he was ready to tear General Katase's head off over this latest stunt.

If there was anything Lelouch valued in this timeline, being immortal really tended to put everything into perspective, it was family. He'd sent Monica undercover to watch over the meeting under the guise of being a Hyperion liaison. Now he'd found out that she'd brought Marianne with her and needless to say he was angry. There wasn't a reason in this timeline, last time it was because there was another rebel organization upstaging them. Now, he wasn't sure . . . "I can't believe this."

Juniper watched as he went from brooding to scheming to annoyed in the span of five seconds. "Realize something?" she asked as he went from annoyed to angry. "I suppose that's a yes."

He grumbled. "That damn Japanese pride, they felt cheated that it was Legion that killed the royal massacring their people and now we have the public support that they don't." putting his head in his hands, he flopped into his seat as he shook his head. "They're trying to prove they aren't dead yet. If we can capture their leader and track their transports we can track them to their base." Lelouch said.

"So where are you going from here?" a third voice spoke that made Juniper jump and spin towards the new voice. The first thing she noticed was the unnatural lime hair the woman had, so fluorescent that there was no way it was natural. Clad in a form-fitting black outfit with . . . assets so much larger than hers that she couldn't help but compare that she looked like a child by comparison. "Don't give me that look." Juniper noticed now that William was giving the woman a glare.

"You shouldn't be here." He seethed, grabbing the woman by her arm and glaring at her. "Do you realize how much danger you put yourself in danger by being here?"

"I am simply trying to keep you alive, as is within my terms of agreement." She said rather cryptically. "This is in no way because I am worried about you, with your present condition anyway. He just wanted me to watch out for you."

Juniper looked from William to the woman and back. "That is probably the most number of words you've spoken straight." He noted, meeting her gaze as she looked rather bored and then noticed Juniper still observing the two of them. "That still doesn't answer my question, why did you come here? You know as well as I do that neither of us can afford to be seen in public. You don't care about anything but your own agenda, so what really made you come here?"

"The pot calls the kettle black." She answered blandly, raising an eyebrow in curiosity of the other female in the room. "My my, so young and you're already stuck with this grump. What's the matter Lelouch, can't ~" she began as Lelouch covered her mouth, though too late as he was busy fumbling for his phone.

"Shut up witch, you aren't helping . . ." he growled, stopping as he turned to face a stunned Juniper, who was looking between the woman and her husband. "Well, that's perfect."

"L . . . Lelouch?" Juniper asked, looking between the two. Shaking his head, Lelouch turned to his half-sister and nodded. "As in . . . my half-brother . . . who died." Another nod of the head left the princess connecting the dots in her head. "But I . . . you . . . we did . . ." she stammered and flushed crimson before fainting on the spot.

"Well. That's perfect." Lelouch sighed. "Maybe she'll think it was all a dream. You want to help? Get out of here and say nothing." He said, lifting up her slight frame and depositing her in their bed. "I have damage control to deal with and these stupid terrorists."

Conceding the point, CC departed by way of a side door just as a knock at the door heralded the arrival of Jeremiah, who's scowl seemed etched onto his face and anger burning bright in his eyes. "You've heard of the terrorist attack, I assume?" he ground out. Lelouch nodded and Jeremiah threw a tablet onto the table that Lelouch picked up without a word.

"Don't tell me." He groaned, looking at the list of names and collapsed into a chair. "Mother didn't tell me she was bringing Marianne." Lelouch growled, picking up a phone and preparing to put Legion on high alert in case they were needed to assault the facility. He trusted Monica to protect her own daughter, and if nothing else would make her an even worse enemy for the unfortunate soldiers that she came into contact with.

"I'm afraid that isn't everything." Jeremiah grumbled. "These names were taken from the registry and we've confirmed Saber implants from the one." More names, most of prominent families with stakes in the Sakuradite trade, and Weinberg's daughter with a familiar lock of pink hair trailing behind her as the security footage caught it.

"You've got to be kidding me." Lelouch had received intelligence from the homeland that Euphemia was allowed to see the empire, but only if she chose a knight. _At least it wasn't Gino,_ Lelouch sighed. "The pretty pink princess is here unannounced, this complicates things, but at least she had the sense to register under her knight's name. That could've been a disaster."

"What do you propose to do?" Jeremiah asked, already knowing that the Purists would use the opportunity of a member of the royal family being held hostage to discredit his son in all but blood. While he'd been chagrined at first at having someone of such high birth discard his name for his, putting his family name in danger. That lasted for all of a few days when he saw the young prince hurting after his mother's death and his own machinations that separated him and his sister. Lelouch had told him time and time again about how he was a much better father than the man whom he shared half his genes with.

"We break into the facility, rescue the hostages and kill every last terrorist garrisoned in that building. Market, this is Kingfisher, prepare the delivery trucks and have the special effects team on standby." Lelouch's cellphone rang and he picked it up, and sighed at the contact's name. "Not you too."

* * *

Erika knew one thing for certain; everything went to hell in less than the hour she'd spent inside the hotel. The royal in her was indignant at being held at gunpoint, the teenager in her was telling her to fight back, but the words her brother had told her the last time they'd been able to speak freely kept her from acting as she held up her hands as the Japanese man pointed a rifle at her. The foot smashing the intruding Japanese soldier's head was another matter. She should have known; and noted that Alice would be the last person to put common sense before safety.

Resigning herself, Erika pulled the pistol from the unconscious man's holster. "You're going to get us killed." Erika noted as Alice hefted the man's rifle. There were some things expected of the daughters of a former knight-of-honor and handling weapons was one of them. It certainly didn't hurt their cause that Alice pulled the combat knife from the man's thigh and began tying him down. "Why would they issue grenades for a hostage situation? It doesn't make sense."

"Well, mom and dad aren't anywhere to be seen. Where to now little sister?" she asked after finishing tying up the grunt and rolling him under the bed. She leaned out the door and ducked back in as she nodded the all-clear. They crept out of the room, noting that the building was at least still clean, and not a spent casing in sight. The explosion that had rocked the hotel had been their only indicator that anything was going wrong.

Erika watched their back as Alice fiddled with one of the panels near their room. "Air vents?! You're going to make us climb through the ducts?" Erika grimaced as Alice shimmied halfway in and turned herself over. "You're crazy. We're going to be heard!" she hissed, checking behind them as Alice dragged a firehose after unlocking the station and a raised eyebrow from Erika, how come she didn't know how to do that?

"Do you have a better plan?" Alice grinned as she used her makeshift rope to aid her climb down to the next level. Erika shivered and tucked the pistol in the waistband of her skirt and started after her sister, thanking her lucky stars that she'd always had the habit of wearing shorts under her skirts.

"Where exactly are we supposed to be going? We'd have been safer barricading ourselves in the room." Erika said, slapping her forehead with her hand and groaning. "Wait. I have an idea." She said, pulling out a nondescript cellphone and dialing the only number on the phone. "Please be awake . . . Lelouch."

"Nunnally?" The voice on the other end of the line asked. "Are you in the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel?" He sounded worried, which wasn't surprising, though years apart with only a few hours contact every few months would have made them less than acquaintances. Alice quirked an eyebrow, she hadn't known about this particular secret the two vi Britannia children shared. There would always be secrets, that was just the way it was.

"Hello brother. Yes, we are. I don't know where mother and father are, I'm with Alice in . . . the ducts." She said, the pair resting on one of the side paths the warm air took. "We want to help. These terrorists are holding civilians, innocent people hostage."

Erika could pick up an argument going on behind the hand that no doubt covered the receiver. "Alright. There should be a server room with access to the hotel's cameras on the fifteenth floor. If what Philip's said about your . . . extracurricular activities holds any weight, hacking it should be child's play for you. I need you to setup a remote link to Legion's channel through encryption channel theta and a short-wave transmission signal that I'll need to clear the building of the terrorists."

"Tall order brother, don't worry. I got it." Erika said as she glanced at the number eighteen. "Not much harder than hacking into Ashford's records." Erika added absently.

"What was that?" Lelouch asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry, I'll get it done." Erika replied and cut the connection.

The descent was quiet for the next two floors before Alice broke the silence that had previously been only punctuated by their feet hitting the side of the tunnel. "Wait. You hacked into Ashford Academy's records?"

* * *

Under the cover of darkness, John Price and the nineteen men and women he'd picked to follow him, headed to the lakeside as the latest Purist faction attack failed. Their radio chatter was clear; Lord Malcom was an impatient bastard and took control over a portion of the military forces as was his right as senior member of the peerage and a military officer. That led to the current situation, four squads of Sutherlands went in, one through the tunnel and three down the center. Nobody told them about the linear cannon in the tunnel because nobody bothered to listen to the calls and warnings of Legion's information. "Market, this is Kingfisher. Deploy special effects. Inside sources are broadcasting information for your squads, switch to tight beam connection echo-six."

"Right. All fire teams, sync your networks to echo-six." Price said, donning the mask and started wading into the water. "Alright, recon and scans show these guys have come prepared. Patrols along the exterior and thermal sensors fifty meters out, we're countering with the icebergs and chaff dispensers. We should be able to avoid detection if we dive to at least ten meters. We'll come out to an emergency access port in the basement storage. Follow our pings, see you on the other side." He said, beginning his descent and waiting a minute for the bulk of the men and women to pressurize properly before he began to swim.

Contrary to popular belief and what films show, rebreathers were anything but subtle, bubbles appearing whenever they exhaled. A vehicle parked in the tree line launched canisters of chemicals that turned the air above the lake into a thick fog that dispensed electromagnetic chaff. If it covered everything, their approach would go unseen and unheard. Price cursed inwardly and resolved to make a rebreather that didn't emit a trail of goddamned bubbles with every breath.

"Testing, testing. We've picked up your implants and receivers. Streaming data to your HUDs." A voice came over the coms. It sounded disturbingly like children, or at least someone young enough to have been the age of his daughter. "This is callsign Gemini, good evening Market teams." She continued as layouts of the building began to stream to his display. "Seven hostiles in the basement, rifles and pistols, hand grenades from what we can see. Proceed to the third and fourth drain doors and we'll notify you when it's clear to breach. Good luck."

"I'm not familiar with Gemini, authorization password for Orpheus-Tango-Blackstar." Price returned, damned if he was going to fall for a trap, best to cover all his bases.

"Received, verification phrase, Sic Semper Tyrannis." Gemini said, and Price gestured for his men to be ready. Opening the hatch, five at a time, they drained the water out of the chamber and prepared to await Gemini's instructions.

"Sir. I've got a bad feeling about this. You sure we can trust Gemini?" another of the soldiers who went by the name Hall, asked.

"There are only six people who should know that response to our security question. Kingfisher, the Kururugi siblings, Red, and Lord Ashford, that voice was definitely not Kururugi's sister." Price said as he received the confirmation signal and barked orders as they prepared to sweep. The doors blew open and suppressed rifles fired and mowed down the guards. The clears came out and the remaining soldiers were brought in. "Nice and quiet." Price noted.

"Sir. You said six. You only named five."

"Right. This stays off the books, as you already know, William Gottwald is actually Lelouch vi Britannia. Great man, sharp mind. So you know that Empress Marianne is killed and his sister dies a while later in a fire that burns their house." Hall nods as they let the remaining soldiers in through the undestroyed gates. "There's the rub. Let's say, theoretically, that sister isn't dead."

"So the premise of starting the invasion of Japan, the murder of the two remaining vi Britannia children by Japanese extremists . . . a cover up." Hall says.

"Got it in one, meaning if Lelouch vi Britannia made it out of that bombed-out house and setup the fire that Britannia blamed on Japan."

"It was a ruse. Nunnally vi Britannia is alive." Hall breathed as Price grinned.

"Bingo."

* * *

A/N:

Hello everyone, hope you've all had a great new year. The latest instalment of Fate Reforged is out and I'm back to figuring out Macroeconomics and management. So yes, majority of the long-time forces of Legion's upper echelons and groups know about Lelouch's identity.

As always, reviews are appreciated. Here's to the next chapter, the actual clearing of the hotel.

Arilily


	18. Chapter 14: No Rest for the Wicked

_We are reporting live from the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel where remnants of the former Japanese Army have taken the members of the World Sakuradite Allocation Committee hostage. The terrorists demand the release of all Japanese prisoners, leaked images have shown Chairman Thomas, students and even children. There has been no word yet from the viceroy of Area Eleven and military forces under the command of the Lord-General Malcom have attempted to assault the blockade and have failed. Legion spokesman Captain James Stadtfeldt is onsite and has not made any comment on the unnatural fog that is speculated by analysts to be a cover for an infiltration force._

Britannia News Network, 2019  
Lake Kawaguchi Report

* * *

The guard center wasn't considered a high priority target; the guards executed and only two men were left to guard the area. A burst of fire caught the attention of one of the guards as his companion went down, turning to face his assailant he was dropped by a single pistol round that caught him in the right eye and spun him around. He caught a glimpse of blonde hair as his sight dimmed and eyes red like fire glanced at him with a mixture of guilt and determination.

Erika looked down at the dead man, something between disgust for herself and worry for the other hostages fighting inside her. Alice held the same look at the man she'd riddled with bullets. "You think we're sociopathic?" Alice asked suddenly, dropping the rifle to procure her own pistol from the dead man.

Looking at her sister, Erika shrugged. "Borderline, ever since those looters tried to get into the house. I guess we've just separated people we see as either human or bad guys." Erika pulled out her tablet and plugged the cord into the terminal. Her mouth twitched in a smile. "I was right, easier than at Ashford. Starting remote bypass."

Keeping watch, Alice locked the door behind them and barricaded them by toppling a filing cabinet in front of the doors. "Humans and bad guys?" she inquired.

"Hmm, I guess it's like in those games you always play. You don't feel anything when you're attacking the bad guys. You feel bad when you have to kill people. Bad guys aren't people, not for us." Erika mused, tapping the keyboard as the screen briefly flashed a warning that she dismissed with a gesture. Eyes darting from screen to tablet, she smirked as the flashing sign read 'Access Granted'.

Picking up the phone again, Erika accessed the speed dial and contacted her brother again. "We're in. You should have access." She reported. "All remaining recording devices in the building should be hooked up." Nunnally muttered as she enlarged the familiar shocking-pink headed avatar amidst the sea of avatars that made up those with devices using Hyperion-technology.

"Good work. I hate to put you more in harm's way, but we need eyes and ears in the building's systems. We're receiving disturbance with the chaff, we can't use long-range communications. We need you to guide them to the hostages. You'll be using callsign Gemini. If their leader asks you for identification, answer with Sic Semper Tyrannis. Hail them with Market Team, that should let them know that you're on their side." He said, cutting the link. Erika smiled; he trusted her to do something, after so long. It was comforting, knowing he was still out there. It was terrifying, knowing that he was deep in the lion's den with no way out. She sighed, something she did a lot as of late. Everything would only get worse from here, her adoptive parents and even her brother had confirmed it.

Alice took an earpiece from the table and Erika quickly synced it to the network she'd remotely linked the infiltration forces' implants and displays to. "Testing. Testing." Alice said, noting the response ping was faster than her own computer's at home. With a low whistle, she raised an eyebrow at her sister who mouthed 'military hardware' and gestured her to go on. "This is callsign Gemini. Good evening, Market teams." Alice said as she began relaying instructions on opening the valves and drainage points.

"Watch it Market One, you've got eight contacts dead ahead, makeshift barrier. Looks like a SAW with them too. Market Three, you have a clear line of fire from the atrium's second floor." Alice grinned, watching as her recommendations turned to orders as the infiltrators opened fire and chewed through the squad holding the doors. "Nicely done, updating your navigation with the coordinates of all access points to the hostage area."

"Copy that Gemini, I owe you a drink after this." Came the reply from one of the soldiers. With a laugh, Alice continued relaying instructions.

"This is almost too easy." Alice said; intoxicated by the power she possessed. "It's like playing Assault Formation, but without all of the hassle." She said. Erika shook her head, relaying her own instructions to the other half of the teams linked to her half of the network. "Market Six, you've got three hostiles heading your way, Five, divert to the right corridor and they should be passing along in three seconds."

Erika tensed as her own readings indicated something large guarding the doors. "Market-Actual, large heat source ahead. They've destroyed the cameras inside. Getting Sakuradite readings; could be a Knightmare."

"Acknowledged, thanks for the heads-up Gemini." Actual replied.

* * *

Acting on Gemini's information, Price had the three teams that followed him take cover behind the desks and in the passages. "Alright, Gemini says there's something big up on the landing. We've gotten no word from Overlord on readings so we're going in blind. Soap, Roach, you two breach and take cover behind the pillars, Taylor and Hall on the SAWs, White and Grant to watch for flankers."

"Breaching." Roach said as he armed the explosive charge and Roach covered him. "Taking cover," he added as they hid beside the doors and counted down. "Three, two, one. Breach!"

The explosion brought down the steel door that led from the direct route that Price was using as a distraction for the teams that used the vents and cargo lifts. A massive armored form, like some twisted parody of a samurai and a Knightmare stood in the entryway, the twisted metal of the door clanging against it as it fell to the ground without the thing moving.

"What the hell is that?" Taylor asked as he opened fire, the machine bringing up a massive slab of steel with one arm as the other hefted what appeared to be a pair of welded-together miniguns. "Oh fuck." He cursed as he dragged Hall down with him as a veritable swarm of projectiles gutted the pillar behind them. "Gemini, it's not a Knightmare. Tell the other teams to hurry; we'll try to slow this brute down as best we can."

The machine bellowed a challenge and stepped forward as Soap and Roach scurried to cover and Hall opened up with the machine gun. "We can't beat its shield, that's at least three inches of solid metal."

"Alright, Market-Two is setting up charges along the exterior wall. Lure it down a floor and we'll flood the area. Emergency protocol should seal the room behind three pressure-resistant doors." Gemini reported and Price's team retreated from the steel behemoth as bullets whizzed around them. Sticking to cover, the seven retreated down the hall, taking turns to distract the machine as they retreated.

Fire cut across their escape. "Market-Actual, turn right down the hall and into the service elevator, hostages are being secured as we speak. Legion Devastator team is en-route. Sealing off emergency bulkheads around the machine." She said as Price gestured them to run as security doors began bolting shut in the wake of the machine's march.

Diving into the service elevator, Price breathed a sigh of relief. "All market teams, check-in." he grunted, noting with some pride that all contacted green.

"Uhh, Market-Actual, we're diverting you to main parking area. High priority, they've captured . . . Princess Euphemia." Gemini informed them. "What is she doing there?"

"This day just keeps getting better and better." Price growled as the elevator opened.

* * *

"All Market teams present and accounted for, exfiltration secured, VTOL support is closing in. Terrorists are making their move, all Sutherland squads, move to Artemis protocol, all sniper teams prepare to engage on my mark." Naoto said, the lead ten Sutherlands crouched behind their riot shields began their advance as the roar of diesel engines were audible over the radio chatter as Legion forces began to prepare for the inevitable conflict as the trapped terrorist forces began to attempt a breakout after their half-baked idea to destroy the other two bridges.

"Eight hundred meters out, no issues so far. Market-Actual has secured the primary target and secondary objectives. Hold to five hundred. All Knightmare teams, prepare for engagement. Front teams switch to Havoc ordinance and all sniper teams to airburst rounds, set to six-fifty." William ordered, the thirty units following his command as nearly three times their number bore down on them, still out of effective range of rifle fire. For five seconds, the Legion units were immobile, something Britannian knights were terrible at, always charging in for glory and honor. "All sniper teams, fire at will."

Ten reports boomed as the ten railguns, affectionately dubbed sniper rifles by their pilots and command, loosed a long whine-crack as ten high-impact shells were propelled to Mach 4 in less than three seconds and were at their target before the sound of the shots reached the terrorist forces. Ten rounds detonated or pierced the outriders of the ragtag charge and detonated well within the center with fragmentation charges and blew apart the Knightmares or vehicles nearest them.

A second thundering volley was on its way as the railguns charged up and recalculated their trajectories as the remaining knightmares milled about in disarray and were caught in the firing line of the Sutherlands. Whatever cohesion that remained was lost as the remaining Knightmare frames ejected over the lake in hopes to get away as the remaining terrorists threw down their weapons and raised their hands in defeat.

"Operation complete, send in the regular forces to clear up the terrorists, have a VTOL secure Market Actual and the objectives." Lelouch sighed. "Captain Stadtfeldt, you're on debriefing and damage control. Send someone to the hotel's guard center and get Gemini out of there. Her parents are going to kill me if they knew I let her talk me into letting her help."

* * *

"Unhand that child right this instant." Euphemia declared, rising to her full height from where she hid among the other hostages, her cap falling away and her brilliant pink locks cascaded to her back, the fearful child was let go at once to her relief and she ran to her mother's arms, an equally frightened woman who hugged her daughter but seemed distracted, confused and horrified at the same time as the terrorists looked equally confused between the appearance of a symbol of the empire and that she had sacrificed herself for the child.

Gertrude Weinberg paled as she watched her charge step away from the crowd and towards the terrorists. She pulled her pistol from its place at her thigh as the woman held a hand to her shoulder and shook her head, not that any of the terrorists noticed as they were busy discussing over their radio what was going to happen. "I'm with Legion, tune your implants to channel theta and input the code I'm streaming to you now." She whispered.

"Who are you?" Gertrude hissed, pulling away as the terrorists were still aiming at her charge and every fiber of her being was screaming for her to stop them.

"Like I said, I'm with Legion. We have a team ready to secure her once they reach the garage." The woman said quietly, motioning her to keep quiet as the soldier began talking, the translator in her implants worked to translate it as he spoke.

"Yes. It's a royal of the enemy. Abandoning the facility and booby trap the hostages, I understand. Long live Japan." The man said as he motioned for four of them to take the princess, leaving three guards in the room plus the guard who spoke.

Gertrude hadn't used the broadcasting systems of her implants in a long while, ever in fact, so it came as a surprise as the woman's voice appeared in the back of the room. The terrorists were busy talking, so they didn't notice Gertrude's hesitance at leaving her charge alone. _They've taken the princess, and we're trapped in the room with four enemy soldiers and over five dozen civilians. Guards are at the two entrances, I'm assuming you have training in marksmanship if you're a knight-of-honor._ The woman said, her former fear replaced by a cold, calculating look as she spotted the movement of the guards.

 _Yes, ma'am._ Gertrude replied, automatically switching to half-remembered military procedure.

This earned a small laugh, disguising a cough. _Ma'am, now that's something that nobody's called me in a long time. Alright, knight, let's see what you can do. Both of those guards, lethal to the head, I'll take down the officer and his friend._

It was over in the time it took the first bullet to travel to the soldiers. The two women rose to a kneeling position and fired. For Gertrude, each landed center in each of the men's heads, pitching both over with barely a sound aside from the pistol report. By comparison, the loud thud of a revolver barked thrice as one shot pierced the soldier's head, the larger caliber round snapping the man's head back as the officer was put down with a shot to the hand, forcing him to drop his weapon and a flinch put him in the way of the second shot that blew out a kneecap and sent him toppling to the ground.

"Overlord, this is Castellan, hostages are secured. Gemini, primary target is being moved, her knight's tracker and the express elevator has them heading to the parking garage in the basement. Recommend dispatch of a Market team." Monica reported as she reloaded the revolver and moved to barricade the door, other off-duty soldiers or knights moving to take the rifles from the dead terrorists as she restrained the officer with his own belt.

"Copy that Castellan. You have thirty plus infantry converging on your location. Get the civilians somewhere safe; Market teams are climbing up the side of the building. ETA five minutes." Gemini said, and Monica was quite certain she'd heard the voice before Monica began barking orders to the volunteers. "Alright, we're going to hold for five minutes until reinforcements arrive. There are two entrances, two rifles to each side. Lady Weinberg to the other entrance, all of you use the conference tables as concealment and the pillars as cover. Make your shots count." She ordered and smirked at the crisp 'Yes sir' she received.

Monica passed Marianne to a woman as she smiled. "Everything is going to be alright." she smiled to her daughter as she closed the storage doors.

* * *

Suzaku wondered what it was that he enjoyed so much about being in Legion, true he was helping Japan in a way that serving in the military would never had let him. He recalled Lelouch had nearly had an aneurysm when Suzaku had suggested that he join the military. It was definitely better by far than being a terrorist, despite the fact that his father led the resistance and his teacher was one of its best commanders. It was better than living a quiet life that Chihiro had said they could have lived, away from all the troubles that came with being a paramilitary organization.

It was never about the glory, Suzaku thought, checking the counter on his rifle as he ascended the side of the building. It was never about honor, he added, loading the clip as his team reached their destination floor. Through the glass, he watched the firefight going on through his display, six Britannians against nearly six times their number in Japanese soldiers. "Alright, we're going in. Overlord, get the defenders to cover their eyes and ears, deploying flash grenades." Suzaku called as the three following him readied their rifles and chambered the first round and the grenade launchers primed with the flash grenades.

"Copy that Saber team, Market teams are in position and defenders are retreating to cover. Civilians in the storage units, check your fire. Countdown in five," the voice of one of Legion's operators that Suzaku didn't recognize filtered through. On the count of four, Suzaku braced his legs against the glass while a shaped charge was applied to the window. On the count of three, they pushed off, cables groaning as they switched in sync to the grenade launcher mounted under their rifles. The count of two had the simultaneous thud as Suzaku heard the arming whine of the charge and depressed the firing stud of the launcher. One had the hiss-thud of the charge as it superheated the glass with a magnesium flare and a sonic charge shattered the glass inward as the grenades arced into the corridor.

Like staring into four miniature suns, the twenty Japanese rebels were blinded as blinding white light filtered from the grenades as Saber team hit the floor and began firing. Suzaku didn't have to think anymore, these weren't freedom fighters; they were terrorists that would see Japan in flames rather than see Britannia rule a day longer. It was people like them that gave the Japanese people a bad name, Suzaku thought, relics of an age when even Suzaku could see that Japan was struggling to remain independent in a world ruled by the different factions.

Suzaku knew his path forward, that people would scorn him, call him a traitor. It didn't matter to him, not anymore. Lelouch was the best hope the world had at uniting under one banner, if anyone could get humanity to cooperate, could dissolve the barriers that kept people so hostile towards each other, it was Lelouch. Naoto knew that, Kallen knew that, and so did he. "East corridor one, clear." Suzaku reported as reports filtered in through the channels and painting the floor layout on his display green or yellow. Suzaku raised a hand and dashed off, the sound of boots against carpet diminished against the staccato of rifle fire coming from ahead. "No rest for the wicked." Suzaku chuckled to himself as he planted a breaching charge against the door, listening to the now-familiar thud as he led his team down another corridor.

* * *

A/N: Another update. The muse isn't as with me as when the story began. So this is the beginning of the "rebellion" in terms of Japan hoping to regain independence. The story's going off-road from here, a few other canon events, but I can assure you that the story has a plotline already planned out, mostly the start and end of where I want the books to be. I'm excited to continue writing this story, I really am, but reports don't write themselves so I'm doing the best I can.

CC will be acting as something like Lelouch's need to hide his geass, like his identity he can't risk CC being exposed, yet she herself has no real qualms over exposing herself as she is immortal. She isn't as invested in Lelouch in this timeline, as seen previous when she shoots him and again where she almost spills the largest secret Lelouch has aside from Nunnally being alive. (Yes, I know that I've also put it out that there are people who know about it, but it's only those that Lelouch explicitly trusts or who've figured it out on their own but know that there's a reason it's a secret.)

In any event, that's chapter 14, rate and review, I'll be hoping to hear from you all what you think. I'm also debating on what I want to write next, currently torn between A Song of Ice and Fire and Expelled From Paradise, thoughts?

See you all in the next update,

Arilia


	19. Chapter 15: Cat and Mouse

_"_ _Under Uriel, they thought of us as bloodhounds, trained to sniff out dissidents and terrorists. Under Clovis, we were less than cattle, to be herded under the guns of our liberalist countrymen and the media, glory for glory's sake to salvage what scraps of honor we still had after we sold our souls to the devil. Under Juniper, well, it was strange. We found ourselves in positions of power, the system had let us in, but bad blood between us and them Brits still caused enough trouble that it wasn't worth all the blood, sweat and tears. It let terrorists into the system, and the corrupt gained positions of power. That was the beginning of the end for Area Eleven, I suppose, the beginning of the end of the world as we knew it."_

 _Lt. Hiroki Yamamoto, Area 11 Office of Local Affairs_

 _Freedom News Network, 2030_

* * *

Juniper awoke in the night as if from a bad dream, about lost siblings and deeds in the dark, half flushed and half panicked. With a moan, she clutched at her head, thoughts hazy from the night previous. She recalled her husband speaking to her, though the topic was unclear to her, and then to _her_. That woman with the green hair and golden eyes that seemed to stare into one's soul. She uttered a name she'd never thought to hear, but then she woke up, a dream fading before the waking mind. Whether it was a memory or merely a dream was up for debate, as she'd never seen or heard a whisper of the woman anywhere.

"Are you alright, my lady?" came the familiar voice of her knight, from the door as it hissed open. Marika frowned at the disheveled appearance of her lady, shaking her head and letting light flood through the door. "You've been overworking yourself too much."

With an apologetic smile, the princess sat up from the bed and sighed. "Sorry, Mari. It's just . . . it's been two months and we still haven't apprehended the terrorists responsible for the hotel incident aside from the field commander and whoever surrendered. I just wish we could do more . . . to reassure the people that the empire is still on top of things."

Despite herself, Marika couldn't help but smile at her friend. Three months, most of them with her spent married to the heir of a business empire that could rival most countries, was a lot of time to get to know someone. "It's fine, princess." The knight deposited the data slate that covered most of the ongoing projects she'd begun ever since she found herself less and less able to perform her duties. Marika had some inkling as to her charge's position, something she'd seen in several of the ladies back in Pendragon and again from some of the female members in the various office positions. "Princess. Is it, could it be you're pregnant?" Marika ventured.

Juniper let out a sound between a whimper and a squeak before nodding. "Two months along now, I think. Is it weird? Girls my age should be wondering how to get the boy they like to talk to them. Now I'm here wondering how to tell my husband that I'm expecting. Sometimes I wish I knew what it was like to be a normal teenager." The princess took the tablet in her hands and stood. "Though I guess it's to be expected, it's not like the emperor thinks of his children as anything more than bargaining tools. We give him what he wants because of who we are and who he is. Listen to me, I'm speaking like some liberal thinker from the EU."

"Not at all, you really should speak your mind." Marika blurted out. This was wrong, to Marika at least. Someone with so much kindness and compassion shouldn't have to be a servant of the tyrant of the world. Not that she'd ever voice her view, that was what it meant to be a knight, to hold your views to your own while advocating the views of your master. _Then again, who is my master?_ Marika frowned.

"I'm sorry, I've said something to upset you." Juniper said, rubbing the slight swell of her belly with a half-smile. A laugh escaped her lips as she widened her smile. "It's hard to get around, but I'm not yet an invalid. I'll get dressed and we can be on our way."

* * *

John Price had finally found a lead from his mentor back in his days among the SAS. They'd been following reports and leads on the fabled Narita stronghold even as the Japanese resistance had become bolder and bolder following their attack on the convention center hotel. "I don't know what else there is to tell you. Area Eleven command sent in several sweeper squads into the mountain over the years, trying to find their hideout. None have reported back, not a trace. Their jamming signal is one of the best I've seen since that op in Nepal three years ago." Macmillan said, talking over the video conference to his pupil and friend.

"Captain, surely there's something the SAS knows about them." John reasoned. "Radio chatter, numbers, entry locations, anything."

The old captain sat back in his chair and looked at the younger man before him. Price was anything but young though, with hair that was starting to grey with stress and though he kept his exercise regime strong, he felt the weariness that refused to truly leave him. "We sent in an SAS commando team about a week after the incident. The rebels contacted the brass about prisoners, an exchange. Last we heard, Prince Schneizel was preparing an exchange of some kind. They're mobilizing the SAS . . . and the Irregulars."

Price's gaze hardened at the mention of the Irregular program. He'd worked with them, little better than directed psychopaths with some kind of cybernetic enhancements. Dime-a-dozen test subjects given weapons and direction to fight. One of the main reasons he quit the military for Legion, nobody sane ever used child-soldiers. "That bastard Steiner still sticking the ES system into kids?"

Einstein-Steiner, two names that would go down in history as some of the most infamous after the former invented the nanotechnology that allowed construction of the latticework of electrical synapse links that allowed the Irregular soldiers to fight like a hundred men even when bleeding out and his partner Steiner who defected from Germany after contacting Britannia regarding his own psycho-indoctrination techniques that the government was threatening him to destroy. Einstein got cold feet, took his research and left, but enough was left that Steiner would never let the scientist live down his greatest work by putting his name on the project.

Einstein had joined Legion, that much everyone knew, but nobody was sure where the genius was anymore, just that his granddaughter was enrolled in Ashford and that his disowned son was again a member of peerage and married some wealthy lady on order of the emperor after discarding his wife and daughter.

"What else do we know about Steiner? Nobody's seen or heard from the bastard after the Organization contacted him." John said. The Organization, a secretive section of the empire's research division, based somewhere in the world that housed the more secretive of the empire's creations. Few knew of its existence and even fewer know its location.

Macmillan raised his eyebrows at this. "Not a lot of people knew that Steiner's disappeared, that's dangerous territory you're treading. We know they're acting within imperial mandate and that they have operations in Japan. Price, this is dangerous stuff you're walking into. The SAS is still a branch of the military and the brass isn't too happy about Legion, tell your boss to watch himself."

Price nodded at this. "He knows. The Organization's been gunning for him since we intercepted a shipment of cybernetics six months ago. Lone operatives or teams, though none have gotten through the Kururugi boy." He chuckled, recalling the boy who'd beaten six of the cyber soldiers sent after Lelouch nearly three months ago with nothing but the ceremonial katana that Suzaku kept on his person while on-duty.

"Be careful, Price." Macmillan said as he disconnected their session and Price found himself alone as he stood and shook the numbness from his body.

"You too, sir." Price muttered as he marched from the conference room.

* * *

The celebratory ball that had Euphemia revealed to the empire at large had become the event to rival one of Clovis's usual affairs but then again it was the ex-prince who set up the event for his half-sister. Five hundred invitations sent to among the noble houses to attend the event along with a waiting list of several hundred others had the empire in an uproar. Noble ladies fought with their husbands as they had them wield all their influence to procure a copy.

With a fidget, Erika moved along the edges of the party. The initial glamour of the party had faded quickly as the young ex-princess wove her way through the gathered packs of nobles with ease born of her adoptive parents' tutelage. Not that she ever brute forced her way through anything, she'd leave that to Alice. Speaking of which, she watched her sister waltzing through a set with a boy from one of the other families.

Erika knew that confident look her sister had at another conquest, another boy wrapped around her fingers and she couldn't help but smile. That had always been both of their specialty, going from fiery to demure to independent like one would change clothes. Of course, it was acting, for the most part. Alice was naturally fierce and passionate about life, where she found herself the more silent of the two.

She watched as her brother talked with his wife, where in another life they might never have met. Now that she thought about it, having over sixty siblings never really felt like it. They were just as estranged to her as those that dwelled below Saint Darwin. She recalled falling head-over-heels for her brother, Empress Marianne's nudging certainly didn't help in the matter and the embarrassment of having fought over him with their half-sister Euphemia still stuck with her. Nunnally would never be that sort of person, perhaps once upon a time she could have loved her brother, but time put everything into perspective. He'd grown into a stranger over the years, and everything that happened since had only added to their estrangement.

Someone bumped into her from behind, pulling her from her reverie and causing her to turn in surprise. In front of her stood Euphemia, looking concerned and apologetic and with a much fuller figure than the stick of a girl she'd been when she last saw her a decade ago.

Maybe it was petty of her, but she couldn't help but compare herself to Euphemia. So similar in figure when they were younger, and Euphemia was only two years older than she was. _'Empress Marianne's were large'_ she muttered inwardly, though outwardly she flushed and gave a low curtsey. "A-apologies, your highness." She exclaimed. "I did not see you."

With a concerned expression, Euphemia looked down at the young girl, who looked about ready to run in embarrassment. "It's alright, I didn't see you either. I'm new to Area Eleven, so I apologize if I'm not familiar with the people here." She said, trailing off as she observed the younger girl taking a step back.

"No need to apologize, your highness." Erika said, formalities pushing their way to the front as she curtseyed again. "I am Erika Joy Kingsly, second daughter of Ser Philip Kingsly."

Euphemia smiled at the girl before her, but for a moment she remembered why she'd left the conversation previous. Glancing around, she saw no sign of the guards she'd slipped by and breathed a sigh of relief. "Pardon me, but maybe we can chat another time, I must be going." She said, walking away but still keeping an eye out for her sister's guards.

* * *

The Japanese Liberation Front had received word from their inside source regarding the debut of Princess Euphemia. The communications from the Hotel Incident had sourced her for Kusakabe's capture, a homing device had led Britannian forces to them and captured or killed the staff that went with him. Tohdoh, of course, wasn't too happy about Kusakabe's actions. He would have berated the man his foolishness at losing nearly twenty percent of their forces and over a company of their most precious resource.

Knightmares, it always boiled down to them. Machines of war and destruction, gods of the battlefield that sped across ground and struck with the force of the heavy cavalry of old. Nightmares indeed when it was their enemy that would always have the tactical advantage when it came to Knightmare combat. Kusakabe had lost nearly thirty of their available two hundred frames, but worse still were the pilots he allowed to die. Training non-Britannian pilots was an issue when majority of their support came from the EU that spoke barely a word of Japanese and they not a word of their languages.

Tohdoh never enjoyed fighting, but it was the path he chose to walk all those years ago, led by a past with a violence all of its own. He scowled as he passed by saluting soldiers. They had at the very least managed to get forces within striking distance of the palace. Fifty frames and over a thousand men ready to cut the head off the Britannian nobility of Japan. "All forces, prepare to move out." Tohdoh said as he stepped up to the launching point, a large building six blocks from the palace, a shell company that the five houses were willing to sacrifice for a chance at a free Japan.

Their air support consisted of a dozen helicopters, relics from the time before the empire, equipped as they were with anti-tank missiles and rotary cannons. Tohdoh boarded his frame, a Ronin, built and designed for anti-knightmare combat at the infantry level, more of a powered armor suit. Its brother and prototype was tested and destroyed at the Hotel Incident. The technicians attached the cords and jacks to their place on the base of Tohdoh's neck.

The flow of data was always an exhilarating rush of clarity, as if Tohdoh had been looking through everything through a film. Everything was crystal clear as the images displayed onto Tohdoh's eyes were real-time with what the machine was viewing through its primary optics. Ballistic plating was lowered onto the machine's torso to further protect its vulnerable joints from fire as the weapons were synced. In both hands, Tohdoh bore a blade as keen as the Britannian Maser Vibration Sword, though it shone like polished steel than the blood red. Monomolecular Edge, as the science briefing had told him, with the edge as thing as a molecule, capable of cutting clean through anything short of the rapidly vibrating MVS as it separated steel at the molecular level.

A green light from Tohdoh had him anchored to a helicopter, the Knightmare rifle secured at his back as the remaining knightmares began their startup sequence. The Britannians had forced them from the city, had driven them into the hills. Now was the time that they could strike back, Tohdoh thought. Now they were truly on equal ground with Britannia he thought as he sheathed the blade and grasped the cord as the helicopter began its takeoff. "My comrades." Tohdoh began. "Ten years ago we were driven from our homes. We had our freedom stripped away, replaced with a number. It's time we returned the favor. Nippon Banzai!" he said, his brief address cut short as his men took up his cry as the glass shattered and the first ten knightmares plummeted to the streets below, racing towards the palace.

"NIPPON BANZAI!"

* * *

The first thing Euphemia heard was the blaring of a siren as the various guests looked around in shock as the alarm was raised. The next was chaos as the nobles were evacuated deeper into the palace as guards began to setup their barricades and heavy rockets were brought out and readied. She watched as the nobles ran through opened doors as rifle fire opened up, striking the bulletproof glass of the ballroom. With a command, the Britannian soldiers dug in as she was escorted out of the room.

The next sound she heard was the sound of shattering glass and the low thrum of landspinners as a quartet of Glasgow frames burst into the room. The palace guard were quick to action, taking down the first two with rockets aimed at their leg joints. The third had its rifle destroyed but men fell as they were scythed down by automatic fire from the infantry that charged in after their support.

Euphemia shrieked as the staccato of gunfire hounded their retreat. One guard was knocked off his feet and blood splashed onto Euphemia from the would at the man's chest and neck. Her other guard takes a knee by the corner to lean out and fire at the advancing terrorists. "Go, princes. Go!" he shouted and opened fire once more, shouting in pain as a round found his shoulder, but he kept firing as Euphemia ran down the corridor. He pressed a pistol into the princess's hands as he reloaded. "Go! I'll keep them at bay."

Her heels long discarded, Euphemia took the offered pistol and ran. She pumped her legs faster than she had in the exercise lessons she took under Cornelia's tutelage. She encountered another group of soldiers fighting back against several terrorists. "My lady. The other nobles are headed to the vaults, your knight commands the defenders."

"Thank you, ser." She said, unaccustomed to the feeling of crouching her legs soon hurt as she was shuffled off to safety by one of the soldiers. With a salute, the man turned and charged back into the fray with a cry of 'All Hail Britannia'.

Continuing her retreat, she encountered several other groups of soldiers, three of whom had stayed by her side at their senior officer's request. The largest of them was a dark-skinned man who had taken to carrying her after a twisted ankle rendered her unable to run. "Sergeant Little, please allow me to use your communicator." She said as the large man bent over to avoid a stream of tracer fire that attempted to fire at them.

"Of course, princess." He said, taking the communicator from his ear and handing it to the princess in his arms. "Johnson, Toler, cover us." Little said, the dark-skinned man sprinting across the corridor as privates Johnson and Toler fired at the terrorists cutting their path off.

"Toler!" she heard Johnson shout as the addressed man stumbled and fell, fire punching through his armored vest. Johnson lobbed a grenade at their attackers as he made to catch up to the sergeant who still carried the princess in his arms. "Damnit, we'll never reach the vaults." Johnson growled.

"Leave me, you're both needed for the defense." Euphemia said. Sergeant Little gave her an odd look. "In one of the rooms, they won't look through all of them." She said, nodding to one of the smaller rooms. Legs pounding, the soldiers looked apologetic as they nodded, both at the thought of self-preservation and that it was a seemingly good plan.

"We'll draw their fire and return when we can." The sergeant said as he and Johnson closed the door and locked it.

Euphemia closed her eyes and listened as the sound of gunfire started up again. Breathing quietly, she couldn't help but hold her breath as it died down after only a few seconds. She opened them as loud knocking could be heard from the other side and an alarm sounded. Raising the pistol she'd held onto, she felt a pang of guilt for the men who'd died to protect her as five terrorists entered the room. The first three she managed to take in the chest with the gun's magazine. The other two shouted as they walked up to her.

The first looked at her with distaste, the second with a leer at her chest that despite the situation made her flush in both anger and embarrassment. He shouted in his harsh tongue, unfamiliar and strange to her that the communicator roughly translated. "Britannian she-dog, you kill friends." He grunted. "We bring you to general."

"First we have fun with you." The second said, as her eyes widened and he pushed her to the floor. She closed her eyes again as she willed herself not to cry as rough hands seized her. She was a princess of Britannia, and they never broke. Her breath stuck in her chest as her cheeks flushed and she lashed out, kicking the man in the chest.

Her sister was the warrior, not she. A lance of pain coursed through her as the man took the leg she'd used to kick him, though it was likely less than a push to the man, and twisted. "That's for Hotel." He said as she felt bone protest the movement and a crack as it surrendered.

Something broke, and tears sprang hot and bright from her eyes as they widened in shock. Dimly, she registered being turned over and her cheek on the cold floor as another thud was heard. "What the~" the man atop her said as he too went silent as he pitched forward and to the side, a slender blade buried in his neck.

"Sorry for the late arrival, Princess Euphemia." A voice brought her back from the edge. A soft hand held her cheek as a feather touch held her hand. "Alice, there's no way she can walk." Euphemia recognized that voice, from what felt like a lifetime ago, before fire and pain, there was that girl.

"Kingsly." Euphemia whispered as the blonde girl extracted the blade from the man's neck and wiped it on his fatigues. "How?"

A second blonde girl came into view as they turned her over. "That's a long story princess."

* * *

A/N:

Just in time for Valentine's Day . . . not that I'd have anyone to celebrate with right now. Anyway, sorry if I made anyone uncomfortable with that last scene. I didn't originally want to take it that far but the scene wrote itself out that way. I'll admit, that was partially repressed feelings but I don't want to go back and fix it because it's another opportunity for character building.

Little else to be said, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. Things will only continue to escalate from here. I hope stay by the story until its conclusion.

Arilia


	20. Chapter 16: Before the Storm

_I'd never seen William Gottwald that angry before the attack on the palace. His wife's sister was hurt and hundreds more were injured or taken prisoner. Princess Cornelia, at the very least, agreed with him on this matter. One of the few things that Britannians hated more than losing a battle was losing family and both had very nearly lost someone important to them. I suppose it came as no surprise that they quickly tracked down the enemy base and furthermore the princess requested aid from the homeland. There was no escape for the rebels this time, of that we were certain._

 _Lieutenant Suzaku Kururugi, Legion 2_ _nd_ _Division  
The White Knight, Memoirs of Suzaku Kururugi; Neo-Britannia Publishing 2068_

* * *

Suzuki bunched her fists into her skirt as she stared in anger at the scene unfolding before her. The surveillance footage she'd seen from other students showed the Japanese insurgents, her people, executing civilians and staff members in cold blood. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen; this wasn't how she wanted people to remember Japan. Her mind returned to the fact that Lelouch had been right all along. That terrorism was never the way, it only added to the cycle of violence and hatred that was already so common among the oppressed numbers and the arrogant Britannians.

"That's nasty." One student noted, watching the video from the attack that had been posted onto the internet following the incident. The empire had attempted to clamp down on the incident, but bad news had a way of circling faster than gossip in a small village. "Those animals." Another said, and Suzuki had never felt more ashamed of being Japanese before this point.

Eyes narrowed, she stalked forward, wanting nothing more than to shut the video off as the other students began to either pale, gag or otherwise feel sick. The two showing the video on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the show as they incited several of Suzuki's classmates to vocalize their hatred. Wanting to stand, she felt a hand close around her wrist as she glanced sideways to see Kenta shake his head. "We can't let them keep doing this." Suzuki hissed.

"Zuki, believe me, I want nothing more than to walk up there and punch them both in the face for showing that footage. If we do, we'll only be proving them right. We need to be smart about this." Kenta cautioned, glancing to where the two Britannian students were pausing, rewinding or commenting on the scene unfolding, conveniently glossing over the portions of other soldiers sparing civilians. They both seemed to be all too willing to get into a fight with the Japanese students of Ashford over this.

Studying the two men, it wasn't hard to see why these two were so intent on antagonizing the Japanese. Roderick Oswald and Harrison Grant. She knew their names at least. The second was the son of Malcom Grant, the disgraced leader of the Purist faction of Area Eleven. The other was Lord Oswald's son, a conservative member of the nobility that funded the Purists of Area Eleven.

"What's the matter, Elevens? You feeling sorry for us Britannians?" Roderick asked loudly and Suzuki noted that he'd stopped the video from playing. A loaded question, Suzuki thought. She'd heard enough over the years to recognize it. If she answered in favor to the Britannian people, she'd be selling herself out as a traitor to the other Japanese kids in the room, who'd tell their parents and so on and so forth. If she defended her people, then they'd label her a sympathizer or worse.

"Does it matter? They have every right to be angry at the symbol of their oppressors." Suzuki answered truthfully. She was angry, truly nothing would have made her feel better than if she could drive the Guren, as soon as it was repaired, to the Purist headquarters and irradiate it to give all those backward thinking bigots cancer.

Seeming to have risen to his bait, Roderick pressed on. "So you're saying that it doesn't matter if civilians get caught in the crossfire?" he asked, grinning now that the other students were whispering among themselves. Suzuki wasn't done yet though, even if she'd backed herself into a corner, there was only forward to go from here.

"It doesn't matter if civilians," she repeated with disbelief in her tone. With a laugh, she stalked towards him, though the tone left no interpretation as to her anger, and to Kenta who was standing up behind her looking between apprehensive and awestruck that she'd snapped here of all places. "Are you thick or just plain stupid?" she hissed, jabbing her finger into his chest. "Of course it matters you opinionated piece of brainwashed political bullshit!" she shot, occasionally slipping into Japanese or otherwise letting her accent slip through.

Both Roderick and Harrison looked like they'd bitten off more than they could chew at this point as the former stepped backwards rather quickly and the other was frozen in place as the much smaller girl began to verbally murder their every attempted argument in her wrath. "Everyone knows that your father is the leader of the rebels in Area Eleven, obviously you support him!" Harrison said suddenly.

"So what? Is the child to be blamed for the sins of their father? You didn't see what I saw during the invasion. Mothers, sisters, daughters and wives raped in front of their children and husbands. Fathers, brothers, sons and husbands executed in front of their families. Babies killed while their mothers watched, homes razed to the ground because your soldiers could. They have nothing left to lose, my home was bombed, everyone but my brother and my father dead because of who my father is and who we were forced to shelter under pressure from your vaunted empire." She just about roared, not quite caring about the crowd that began to form outside, or the teachers struggling to get into the room as the physically smaller girl stood over the two boys who'd tripped over themselves. Everybody saw the tears streaming freely from her eyes as they narrowed in absolute hatred at the two who'd both disgraced their own countrymen and villainized her own.

"Miss Kururugi, please come with us." One of the teaches said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Shrugging them off, she glowered at him, not yet quite done with her little tirade.

"The cornered rat will bite the cat. I was spared most of the destruction, but hundreds of thousands will always remember what the empire did. They'll never forgive what you did to their homes, their families, their country." She said, turning to follow the teachers who escorted her from the room. As if remembering something, she turned her head and whispered. "And we'll never forget."

* * *

"Lord Bradford, as much as I appreciate your concern for my project's wellbeing. I'm afraid I cannot accept your proposal in good faith on several poorly structured points in your proposal." Kallen said, pushing the document back at the stunned businessman. She smirked, men were so predictable, they see a woman and think that she'd be a pushover or that she didn't know what he was doing.

Wanting to save face, the noble looked at the young woman with a look between appraisal and apprehension. "What exactly is wrong with my proposal? I find my terms quite generous, it isn't every day I get to meet with such a fine woman as yourself who knows her way around business dealings." He said casually.

"Where should I start?" Kallen asked, somewhat patronizingly. "How about the fact that the budget allocation isn't reasonable considering the amount of manpower you'd like to hire. If you've read the position of Demeter regarding its subcontracting of employees to other companies is that they're expected to be paid at least three quarters of what your Britannian employees receive. Your proposal would put them well below the minimum wage set by the empire for a class two area."

The man looked taken aback at her knowledge of imperial bylaws outside of business regulations which were strict enough as it were. "Well, that's because we hire more Britannian citizens, we can't afford to improve the working conditions of the numbers when the Britannians must take priority, surely you know that."

With a smirk, Kallen replied. "Be that as it may, we like to think we're fair to all our employees. Willing servants are far more productive than resentful slaves." She answered. "That brings me to another point, you have no numbers under contractual employment. What would you need our managers and trained senior laborers for such poor pay? Surely being a noble you can afford to ensure the happiness of your workers."

"What need do I have of happy employees?" he scoffed, leaning back in his chair as Kallen raised an eyebrow. "Numbers exist to further their betters' wealth. They're second-class citizens at best. You should know that, having grown up while this place used to be called Japan." She hit a nerve, now to see what this man was really like, she chuckled inwardly while remaining a passive facade.

Shaking her head, Kallen opened another series of documents. "Putting aside the fact that it's disturbing you've researched my past to such a degree, you sound exactly like an EU businessman. What do you say about all the Numbered students that Ashford Academy is sponsoring for education in both the mainland and the EU?" Let's see just how archaic you are, Lord Bradford, Kallen thought. She appraised the man once more, the stereotypical Britannian noble.

Impeccably dressed, but with a proud streak a mile wide and a bit of a belly to him. She couldn't help but feel disgusted at the way he leered at her chest. The man was married, not to mention he was married with children and grandchildren of his own. He was old enough to be her grandfather and here he was trying to get a glimpse of her. She had to laugh, some Britannians really were a piece of work.

"Aberrations, most of those are half-breeds anyway. Something to be said about superior blood." He sniffed in disdain. "I won't sugarcoat it for you, Miss Stadtfeldt. I've given my terms, accept or don't. I expect your reply within the week."

Kallen stood and gave a respectful bow as he left while muttering under her breath. "Asshole."

* * *

Suzaku rubbed small circles into Chihiro's back after a rather intense session of lovemaking, both basking in the afterglow and Suzaku reflecting on paths that led him here. He recalled all too well the choices he'd made and the ghosts which still haunted him to this day. In his dreams, he still often saw the ghosts of those he killed, his fellow Japanese and Britannians. Perhaps it was for the best that Lelouch had talked him out of killing his father. Then again, if he hadn't, Japan wouldn't be in the middle of all this turmoil.

Lazily, Chihiro propped herself onto Suzaku's chest, smiling contently at the man she'd had to practically drag around to see that she loved him. It was a huge favor for both of them at least that he felt the same way, though he admitted he used to think of her more like a sister during and sometime after the war. Smiling at him, she couldn't help but feel bad inside at what she knew would follow after he'd explained to her that he'd have to hunt down his father. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

Suzaku cupped her chin in his hand and brought her gaze to meet his. "It's just the way it has to be. If this is really what Genbu Kururugi wants to do, then the father I knew for years died during the war. I'm just helping his body catch up." He let an arm encircle her waist and draw her closer for a kiss.

"Do you really not care about him anymore?" she asked as she lay against his chest now. "He's still your father after all." Chihiro mused, frowning as Suzaku slid a hand along her side and causing her to shiver and break out into goosebumps where his fingers trailed.

"It's like Lelouch all those years ago. Maybe once I could have considered him family, but that time's long past. I have a new family that I have to protect." He said, bringing his lips to hers once more.

Chihiro sighed and disentangled herself from the sheets, rolling to one side of the bed. "Look, Suzaku. I know you feel like you have to do this. I won't stop you, just promise me you'll come back."

Sleep slowly overtook them as Suzaku whispered. "I will always come back to you."

* * *

Lelouch felt played for a fool as he paced his study, the worried expression on Juniper dogging his footsteps. One time, Lelouch recalled. The hotel incident would have happened either way, Kusakabe was a firebrand and he knew that man would never openly take an insult to their strength sitting down. This was new however, Lelouch growled inwardly. The JLF had dared to attack the settlement, even as Zero in another time and another life, he'd never stooped so low as to attack the city without the open declaration of war and the support of the nation. "This wasn't an attack; it was a statement. The media broadcasting the event was too grandiose, we had to expect something of this caliber happening."

Resting a hand on his shoulder, Juniper pressed herself to his side, feeling him tremble in anger and outrage. To her it was having been outsmarted, that his pride was hurt, something she understood. To him, however, it was anger at himself, for being weak and not stopping the attack beforehand. "You can't blame yourself for everything that goes wrong. Clamping down on the media would have sent more warning signals, if not to Japan then to other countries."

Taking a deep breath, Lelouch, back in his persona as William turned to his 'wife' with a frown. "Yet those who have the ability to stop something from happening and did nothing are just as guilty as the ones who committed the attack." He replied callously, something that Juniper hated about him, but it was one of his defense mechanisms. Despite herself, she laughed.

"I don't see anything funny about the current situation. The nobility is in an uproar regarding the security, the Purists are using the raid as an excuse for cracking down on Elevens in the military and the business sector. It's almost as if those inbred louts want to incite the area's anger further." He scowled.

The reports coming in were staggering, Purist members were openly harassing native soldiers and citizens about collaboration with the enemy. Arrests were happening left and right as the Purist faction cracked down on anybody who looked remotely like a native. "They're angry at having been shown up by your forces. You know how the old money gets when someone else steals the limelight." She quipped, bringing her arms around his waist. "They already lost face after the hotel incident after the leader of the purists was driven up a wall with how his vaunted knightmares failed, now they're being criticized at having been on-duty that night and choosing to attend instead. Are you so surprised they need an outlet to their aggression?"

"You've been talking to your brother, Prince Schneizel, again haven't you?" Lelouch said. It wasn't too often that his wife, as foreign as ever in his own thoughts, took council with their half-brother in matters of state. It annoyed him, if he admitted it to himself, that she trusted someone over her supposed husband. Then again Lelouch, or rather William, had never inclined himself to the political landscape that a royal was so often familiar with. Perhaps he should do something about that, a problem for another time, now he had to hunt down a pack of rabid dogs.

With a smile between guilty and knowing, she couldn't help but press against him. She'd only ever seen him truly angry a few other times and had to admit she found it rather . . . attractive. Perhaps it was the conqueror's blood in her, but he always looked so in-command while he was angry or frustrated. Nobody really questioned him whenever he was. Schneizel's words from months ago came back to her, fitting right in with the family indeed.

Sighing to himself, Lelouch put an arm around his wife's waist. It was somewhat exhausting to keep the charade up, but he figured there were worse people he could have been forced to marry by that man. He barely though of her as his half-sister, though of course the stories she'd told him from after he'd left Pendragon were amusing when regards to several little-known cases of incest among his siblings. He'd laughed at knowing that many of his half-siblings never quite reached the level of competence that the emperor looked for in his children. He took some small amount of pride at his father throwing away what he thought to be a pawn when in fact it was a knight waiting to be unleashed.

"Come to bed," Juniper said quietly. That was another bad habit she found William possessed, he always overworked himself. Allowing him into the bureaucracy of governing Area Eleven had shown her just how inefficiently she'd been taught, though she supposed that helping to run a megacorporation that had its fingers among nearly every superpower the world over helped. "You're working yourself too hard."

He looked at her with a look between annoyance and amusement. "That eager for another round?" he quipped, trying to find it in himself to loosen up. She was right about a good number of things whenever they argued, particularly when it came to his own physical health. "I thought I performed poorly that night, you never wanted to sleep with me again." He said.

"Don't play coy with me." She shot back as she stepped away from him, depriving him once more of the sometimes rare contact between the two of them. "And get your head out of the gutter, you were quite satisfactory that time. It's just not a good time."

"More than satisfactory if we're thinking about the same night." William said casually as she flushed in embarrassment at the memory. "Besides, you've never let me into your bed since then. I don't see why now should be any different." He added as an afterthought while she looked pensive as he fought the urge to smirk at her reaction.

Resting a hand on her belly, Juniper tilted her head up as she looked her husband in the eye as she whispered. "William. I'm pregnant."

* * *

A/N:

Dun dun dun, cat's out of the bag everyone. Apologies if this didn't have action, mostly character building. For those of you who like Kallen and characters from the spinoffs and movies, I apologize. Kallen won't have as much reason to fight for Legion or the rebellion in R0 since Naoto is fighting and she knows that she is doing good in Demeter. The spinoffs as of now that I know well enough to incorporate into the story is Akito the Exiled as I've watched the movies, though how it will mesh with the story is still unknown.

In any event, we'll be visiting a very different Battle for Narita in the next chapter, and some other characters will be joining the current cast soon. This is all a buildup, remember as Lelouch is still trying to change fate, the consequences of his actions won't be felt too obviously at first, but later down the line.

Some R&R would be nice, I can't believe how fast I got this chapter out. Guess how this girl spent her Valentine's day?

Arilia


	21. Chapter 17: Falling Into Place

_Of all the plans to pull from the history books, it just had to be Vercingetorix's defeat at the hands of Caesar during the Siege of Alesia that the royals decided to pull off. The Narita mountains were encircled within three days with mobile shield walls and manned with anti-armor cannons. Nothing was getting in or out of the mountains, not without either General Cornelia or Prince William's say-so._

 _Interview with Ser Walter Lodge, On the Asian Front_

 _Free Britannia Press, 2027_

* * *

"What do you mean we can't attack the terrorist stronghold? We already have it surrounded!" Cornelia roared, hands slamming down onto the table as she faced her half-brother Schneizel in the conference room. "We've lost too much to their terror campaigns to give up now." She snarled.

Juniper stood beside her sister in their meeting while the prime minister stood before them on the projector. "Cornelia is right. We can't show weakness to the dissident elements, we'd be giving the terrorists the recruiting call they need." Juniper looked between them as Cornelia was maintaining the encirclement of the Narita fortress with William as Juniper and Euphemia managed the day-to-day affairs of the area.

"For the most part, you would be correct." Schneizel said, looking at them each in turn. "However, the terrorists have nearly thirty members of peerage captive after the debacle at the palace. While the former Lord Grant has been punished for his failure with his own death during the incident, we are left with thirty individuals, as well as nearly sixty others who have been captured."

William gave a grunt at this point. "I am aware of the missing persons list and we will definitely need to do some negotiating with these terrorists, even if I do despise them and even if it means condoning terrorism."

"If we do that, we legitimize terrorism. Send in a special operations team or let us launch our attack." Cornelia pointed out. "They'll be more likely to give us favorable terms once we're knocking at their door." She snarled, casting an eye to the diagram of the base before her.

"We cannot do that." William and Schneizel said at the same time. "The fact remains that they have VIPs that we must rescue before anything else. All other points are moot until then. They've offered terms, and they're quite generous all things considered."

"Such as?" Juniper ventured, frowning at the idea of letting terrorists get their way, they'd hurt Euphemia, killed so many civilians, and they spoke as if justice was on their side. If history was correct, then they were no better than the invading armies of Britannia, not that she'd ever mention a word of that particular point of her beliefs to anyone but her husband who knew himself.

Schneizel went over the list once more. "Knightmare frames and ammunition mostly, they know we'd never willingly send them energy fillers so I assume the black market will have that covered. We can requisition the older models from the scrapyards and the knight police without too much detriment to ourselves and in terms of tactical strength."

William gave a feral grin at this, all knew that the Hyperion corporation's R&D teams were savants when it came to knightmares. "I believe I can mitigate the effect they will have in terms of military strength. A simple issue, one they won't detect until they actually face us in battle."

The second prince of the empire raised an eyebrow and nodded for the man to continue. "As it stands, all knightmares piggyback off the same operating system since the Glasgow frames were introduced. It won't be hard to rewire their IFF and make our own Knightmares invisible to theirs and make it unable for them to target our own. It's an easy bypass, but they should be disorganized for about fifteen minutes while they recalibrate. Enough time for our forces to wipe them out."

Looking astounded, the three royals looked at the man in their presence. Schneizel with newfound respect, Juniper with admiration and Cornelia with horror. The weapon that had subjugated resistances and invaded countless nations with minimal losses could be so easily undone. The weapon that allowed every man to fight like gods on the battlefield had such a great Achilles Heel that it might render the weapon obsolete if a solution wasn't found. This was one man who the empire couldn't afford to be an enemy, she thought. The emperor knew that, that's why he was now married to Cornelia's half-sister, to keep tabs on him.

"That's an interesting proposal, will they be able to detect these countermeasures?" Schneizel asked, putting a hand to his chin. "If they find out the ruse then they'll kill the hostages."

Looking suitably mollified, Juniper looked to her husband who was muttering to himself. "I know you want what's best for the people, but we can't afford to put any more people in danger."

"It will work." William said carefully. "It won't change any of the subroutines for targeting or during the boot-up sequence. It was included as a safety feature during the testing of the original Glasgows and was never removed from the OS, it just can't be accessed manually, like it doesn't exist." He said, making the three royals more conscious regarding this man. "I had access to the original Glasgow operating system some years back while I was trying to find a workaround for our newer prototype system. I've removed that particular barrier from the units produced by Hyperion for the army."

"Can you be certain that it won't backfire on us?" Cornelia asked, weighing the risks of having a new operating system, even by a loyal subject of the empire it was too much of a risk having access to all the military hardware in the Area. "We can't move forward with that, even with the prisoner transfer."

"Prisoner transfer?" William and Juniper inquired at the same time. "I was not informed we'd be releasing criminals and prisoners of war to our enemy." Juniper said hotly. "When was the decision made?"

Schneizel put up a hand. "That was my doing, sister. They wouldn't part with their prisoners, as they no doubt know of their value, until an exchange was met. We release our prisoners and they do the same with theirs." He said, raising his hands in a calming gesture to placate his sister's anger. Never let it be said that she isn't of Britannian blood, Schneizel thought, she could be fiery when she wished.

Juniper shook her head. "It's still too risky, if we let their prisoners go then they'll recoup the numbers they lost at both the lake and the palace."

"What do you propose then?" Cornelia scoffed.

"Divide them." Juniper said, looking to her husband who raised an eyebrow and nodded her to continue. "They're asking us to free our prisoners, then release the criminals as well back into the ghetto. Murderers and rapists running around the ghetto will quickly change the people's tune." She said coldly.

Inwardly, Cornelia wanted to cry. So much had happened in such a short time that had turned her sister from the cheerful and bubbly girl that fostered at Demeter Villa with the Li Britannia family to the woman who knew the cold and brutal calculus of ruling. She wanted nothing more than to shoot her husband, no doubt part of the cause of her sister's transformation. "While I don't agree with releasing our tried criminals, it might just be what we need to tip the scales in our favor." Schneizel said. "Thank you, sister. I believe we are done for today." Schneizel said with a nod as he terminated his end of the conference.

* * *

Erika steadied her breathing, the harsh throb of her head lessening as she cleared her thoughts from her mind. A week and already she felt disgusted at any sympathy she had for the Japanese rebels in the past. To her, there was nothing noble and nothing honorable about keeping helpless men, women and children hostage for crimes they didn't commit.

Thinking back on things, Lelouch had wanted a peaceful world, he had never said anything about the reality of war but that was the dreaming of a ten-year-old that had just lost his mother in a war of succession as old as the empire itself. The empire wasn't wrong about the truths of the world, in truth, Erika was sure that her brother had meant well when she was sent away from that controlling man who used his own children as bargaining tools and means of getting what he wanted.

That meeting with the woman with green hair had revealed yet another piece of information about her brother. The gift that her brother had given her, a power she feared to use because of what it would make her. To take the free will of someone and twist it, the thing that she long viewed the empire as cruel for doing, was truly the only way to achieve peace. With a gulp, she blinked the red contact lenses from her eyes and stared at the men who were watching her. "I, Nunnally vi Britannia, command you both. Aid my escape from the base." She stated as both men looked her in the eyes, freezing at the violet eyes that stared back with a determined expression.

"Yes, princess." Both men saluted, one saluting as the other unlocked her cuffs. They stood at attention as she directed them open the door.

The man outside asked for all of a minute as a single gun report fired and the thud of something hitting the ground came from outside as Erika stepped free from the cell she'd been locked in. Looking down, she frowned, remembering the man from the lake but hardened her expression. A group of six came down the corridor as Erika swept an arm to the side with a dramatic wave. "Obey my commands!" she shouted as the six stumbled as one, shaking their heads before focusing on her.

"Yes, princess." The said in unison as Erika secretly reveled in her newfound ability. It was intoxicating, such control and such power. She shook the thoughts from her mind, feeling instantly sick to her stomach and for once was glad that nobody could see her as she retched up her lunch in disgust.

For a moment, she felt like she was her father, her biological father. The control he must feel with hundreds of thousands of lives as his playthings, it was hard not to become lost in such corruptive power. "I will become nothing like him." She swore to herself as she directed the men take her to the other prisoners. "Refrain from referring to me as a princess." She ordered as the men bobbed their heads.

The doors of the cells were opened, and prisoners freed without much fanfare. "All of you, hurry. We're escaping." Erika said as she led them out as the eight soldiers stood guard. "Take us to the nearest exit aboveground."

"Of course." the men responded, leading them and gunning down any they met. The remaining people were in shock to answer as Erika stepped among the bodies that to them looked like a spirit, a chooser of the slain as she didn't seem affected by the death that surrounded her. "Through here, you will come to the base of the mountain within three minutes walking."

"Distract the terrorists so we can get away." Erika ordered as the hostages stepped through.

"Of course." They said once more in unison as gunfire erupted once more while the last sealed the door by smashing the console behind them.

* * *

Lelouch stood across the bulky man called Colonel Madd, where behind him stood three girls, the youngest of which was no older than Nunnally would be right now. "Colonel Madd, these are your . . . super soldiers?" Lelouch asked, not that he was skeptical about their abilities, the Irregulars and Colonel Madd's names had turned up numerous times in Legion's reports on various locations across the globe. "They aren't how the other reports mentioned, half-men and half-machines. They look like ordinary young women to me."

"On the contrary, they're here under orders from the emperor to watch after you and the princesses." Madd grinned widely. "His majesty has requested that the new generation be assigned to your protection detail, less conspicuous I believe."

"I appreciate the emperor's concern for me, though I believe I'm more concerned regarding the news that your division is conducting tests in Area Eleven. I'd like to remind you of the current situation, if such technology fell into the hands of the rebels, who knows what the emperor would do to the one who leaked such important secrets." Lelouch said as he eyed the three girls who even now still stood at parade rest. "I suppose if it's a command from the emperor, I can't very well refuse it. Who will be assigned to me and my wife?"

Two of the three, the taller one with a fair complexion and the unusually timid looking girl stepped forward and saluted, something Lelouch deigned to return and elected to nod instead. "Staff-Sergeant Sancia Edgefield, Irregular Company." The taller one stated. "Prince William, I am assigned to be your guard, and to pose as your secretary for the duration of my appointment here."

The shorter of the two, a rather pale looking girl responded softly yet clearly. "Sir, PFC Lucretia Evans, Irregular Company. I am charged to pose as the princess Juniper's lady-in-waiting." She answered and Lelouch nodded to them both. This was going to be complicated, the emperor's dogs had now found their way into his home. Then again, he was sure that this was to protect him and not spy on him. He'd given them no reason to suspect him, perhaps he really was just being paranoid.

* * *

Lelouch observed the sakuradite-enhanced warhead's detonation theory as he'd taken from Nina, the mousy girl had about thrown the notes at him in her eagerness to help the man who had helped her family recover. She seemed a lot happier and less introverted than the previous timeline, perhaps the two years she'd not been in Japan had been good to her.

"The reaction reaches nearly ninety-five percent consumption rate of the Uranium and Sakuradite. The spherical detonation is powerful enough to destroy any defenses we currently have. Project Shiva will be shelved until further notice." Lelouch declared as the scientists clapped at the success of the project. He had to grimace, and remembered the one target he needed to destroy. He owed it to Rolo to see this one thing through to the end. "Detonate remaining Shiva warhead in the Gobi Desert at these coordinates." Lelouch said.

Lelouch smirked as the notice of launch was heeded and he walked away to be with his half-sister and wife. Much easier now, there was nothing that could go wrong at this point. The phone rang and Lelouch had to curse the Collective Unconscious at this juncture. "Of all times." He grumbled. "Gottwald here, what do you need?"

"It's Naoto, there's movement at the perimeter of the wall. Looks to be civilians." Naoto said. "Erika's with them."

Groaning inwardly, Lelouch had indeed seen her name in the list, but had to move carefully to ensure that no connection other than their fathers' mutual partnership seemed to be their only connection. "That's surprising. I thought the prisoner transfer was scheduled later this week." Lelouch answered evenly as he fought with himself on the inside.

The door slid open as the hostages stumbled into the base, looking not too worse for the wear save a few bruises and scratches among the noble prisoners. "Erika, your father will be relieved to hear of your safe return." Lelouch caught Naoto saying, grinning as he placed his coat around her slim shoulders. Large eye bags shone through limp blonde hair and her red eyes were rimmed further in red.

"My lords and ladies, you're safe now. We will have soldiers escort you to temporary lodging within the city until we can notify the proper authorities regarding your escape." Lelouch announced as the people sat down inside the wall's checkpoint. Lelouch had to admit that he was proud of his sister's resourcefulness at using her geass so soon. Not to mention he was worried, that move was reckless.

He wondered briefly if that was what CC felt whenever he used his powers before, the tingling sensation and the brief pain behind the eye. "My lord, could I speak to you in private please." Erika asked, voice sounding quite fragile as if she would break. She was trembling, but then again it had been over a week since her incarceration in unknown conditions, Lelouch was once more certain he should have just buried them again under a mountain of debris and mud then rescued them after the terrorists offered terms for their rescue.

The attending knights looked nervous. "Stand down, she's the daughter of one of my father's allies. There's no cause for alarm." Lelouch said as the two knights blocked her path. "Have the quartermaster bring something for her to eat to my quarters." Lelouch said as he offered his hand, one she graciously took as he led her up to the commander's quarters.

The moment the door slid closed, Erika ran into her brother's embrace, tears flowing freely as Lelouch murmured sweet nothings as he held his sister. "I was so scared." She sobbed, all the pent-up emotions hidden from the decade they'd been apart burst forth like water from a dam.

Lelouch held her as she cried. "It's alright. You're safe and you rescued everyone there." He said, stroking her hair as she continued to cry. "You've grown up a lot. That sweet little girl back at Aires Villa would never have been able to do any of the things you did."

She sniffled, trying and failing to rein in her emotions. "It felt so wrong." She confessed. "Taking away somebody's freedom like that."

"I would have been worried if you weren't or didn't bring it up." Lelouch answered truthfully. "Erika, I'm just glad you're safe. My knights, well, your parents aren't going to be happy that you put yourself in danger like that though." Lelouch noted.

Snorting, she looked up at her brother, a word that should have come easy to her thoughts yet now seemed so foreign to her. "Erika, yeah, I suppose neither of us has gone by our names since that day." She muttered to herself, hugging her brother, acquaintance, she didn't know what to call him anymore. "I was scared, for a moment there I enjoyed what I did to them . . . the power was so . . . intoxicating." She breathed.

Lelouch looked down, frowning at the description she gave. It was possible that she received the power he had. After all, their growth was somewhat similar and their needs aligned, he was grateful that her power had helped her escape the terrorists. This way, there were no casualties, and nothing to stop him and Cornelia from bringing vengeance onto the terrorists.

Erika tugged at Lelouch and shivered. "I feel cold. Could you . . . please stay with me for tonight?" she murmured as she rested her head against his chest. "I don't want to be alone . . . not right now."

Nodding, Lelouch watched his sister drift off as he put an arm around her shoulder as she snuggled closer to his warmth. For one moment, Lelouch let his façade drop and kissed her forehead with a kind smile. "Sweet dreams . . . Nunnally." He whispered.

* * *

A/N:

This took a bit longer than I'd have liked for the chapter, not to mention I've had to slog through some portions of this chapter. We're almost done with R0, maybe six or seven more chapters to the conclusion and then things will begin to pick up. Timewise, this story would have taken place from the prologue to about three-fourths of the way through R1 if I recall correctly. In any event, hope to hear what you think about this chapter. The little scene at the end between Lelouch and Erika (Nunnally) kind of wrote itself as well but it seemed like a good little filler to add for the Lelouch-Nunnally fans out there.

Well, I've got time on my hands before my coursework picks up, so hopefully I can get a chapter or two down before I really have to really start focusing on my papers. Wish me luck. R&R is always appreciated.

Arilia


	22. Chapter 18: Invasion

_While the escape of the Britannian prisoners prevented the release of over three hundred prisoners of war that the former sovereign nation of Japan lost, including several members of the previous cabinet, it paved the way for the fall of the areas due in no small part to the orchestrations of the 99_ _th_ _emperor. Few knew that his reach extended to the areas, but perhaps it was for the best, for Area Eleven was on the path to war and there was little that could dissuade the areas at this point from rebelling following the declaration of the Federation and the Hegemony._

 _Rise of the Child-Emperor_  
 _Neo-Britannia Publishing 2066_

* * *

Schneizel El Britannia considered himself a sentimental sort of man, he once believed that he was destined to rule the world through fear, which was what Damocles was for. Unity was a distant goal that could never be achieved and thus fear was a necessary evil, he thought. "That man could do it." He mused, thinking back to the young man who had married into the imperial family only four months ago. "William Gottwald. A valuable asset." He mused.

"Or a dangerous enemy. He can't be trusted." The small man in front of him said. Schneizel found the small man quite the oddity, perfectly proportioned, yet his background checks didn't count him a dwarf and yet was supposed to be the emperor, his father's, twin.

Chuckling, Schneizel glanced at the small man. "True enough, but I feel that he and I have similar goals. He won't do anything to harm that relationship. He may be powerful, but he's just one man." This man had Schneizel rather uneasy, he came across as aloof, yet he knew the man was a vindictive person. If his deceased half-brother's notes and the data was the truth. This man was the murderer of an empress, common-born she may have been, and yet he was running free.

The childlike man faced him. "The emperor has grown complacent. The Directorate has been out of communication for nearly a week and the shuttle service is shut down. There's something going on, I can't raise any of them." He muttered darkly, and Schneizel had to smirk.

"They've gone rogue then?" Schneizel assumed this was the case, reports of a meteor impact were completely insane. His science teams had picked up a fission reaction from the desert, yet what little fallout remained was not enough to identify the device's point of origin. They were at an impasse, Schneizel knew to a point what his father and this man were doing and without the device buried in the desert, they had no way to recreate the effect. His father had grown reclusive of late, whatever had been destroyed had affected the leader of Britannia greatly that Schneizel had claimed emergency power and ruled in his father's stead with his other half-brother Uriel serving as emperor-regent until such a time as their father abdicated or a time had passed.

Putting a hand on his chin thoughtfully, which looked rather comical on the small man, he paced the study. "You and Uriel are doing a fine job at picking up after the emperor's neglect." He noted, looking the two up and down. "Pity you're second and third in line, eh?"

Schneizel shrugged. "There is a lot of time before the emperor passes, may it never happen too soon else we fall into anarchy, however I'm not too concerned, any one of the current royals in any positions of power is more than ready to serve interim until such a time as the house of peers is ready to elect a new leader."

"Do you really think those archaic thinkers would really do anything that could distance them from power?" the little man scoffed. "Liars and leeches, bootlickers to the children of the emperor. They would never use their emergency powers to overrule the line of succession."

"Careful, sir. What you said could be misinterpreted as treason." Schneizel noted as he continued to observe the little man while compiling further reports on the unrest in different areas. The knights of the round, the best of the best in the empire, were stuck guarding a lifeless shell of their father while unrest raged in the areas.

Laughing, the little man raised an eyebrow at the prime minister. "I'm not worried about that. Uriel and yourself will see to the empire. I have things I must do. If you'll excuse me, minister." The small man said with a mock bow. Had it been anyone else, Schneizel would have been offended at best, but then again, few people crossed the head of the directorate and lived to tell about it.

* * *

Escorting an injured princess was hard enough, but doing it in the middle of a firefight was incredibly difficult at best. Alice and Erika had taken turns in acting as the princess's crutch for the journey. "Forgive me, princess, but lay off the desserts." Alice huffed, earning a strained laugh from the injured royal as Erika sent a burst of automatic fire down the hall to their right as she peered out the side.

"I'll consider your suggestion, Lady Kingsly." Euphemia chuckled as she hobbled with Alice's aid, wielding a pistol of her own in her right hand. Not that she was a markswoman by any means, but all royals of age were trained in basic firearms and self-defense. Being the sister of an army corps general was another bonus for that matter.

Chuckling mirthlessly, Erika stooped down to redo the bandage on her leg. Long had she discarded the dress for the more practical athletic attire she wore underneath, slightly embarrassing though it was. A bullet had found its mark, though thankfully nothing life-threatening and only mildly hindering her own mobility. "With all due respect, princess. My sister is far from ladylike."

Another round of tired laughs went around as Erika switched with her sister, handing her the rifle they'd taken off the infiltrating terrorists. With practiced ease, Alice replaced the magazine with another taken from the freshly killed soldier. "Dear sister, neither of us is exactly 'ladylike' all things considered."

"Still a better tech than you'll ever be." Erika mused as she stopped their progress by shunting further systems to lock other areas filled with terrorist soldiers and flooding them with suffocating riot foam. "You couldn't stalk a celebrity if they gave you an address. Let's keep moving."

Alice stepped forward firing at the struggling bodies of the terrorist soldiers and taking further ammunition away from the infiltrators. Why it was so easy to cut through trained soldiers was beyond the two, but neither felt exactly like super spies at the moment, bruised and battered as they were from their trip away from an exploding Knightmare. With a coy smirk, Alice finished off a struggling soldier, trapped under debris. "Mine are still bigger than yours."

Flushing crimson despite herself, Erika looked indignant. "You're a year older than me! Besides, why would I want boys staring at my chest?" Erika exclaimed, muttering the last part and looking away to the older girls' amusement. She instead focused on deploying all the countermeasures she could hack into and prayed that Euphemia didn't say anything after this regarding how easy it was for anyone with the right knowhow could hack their systems.

Shaking her head, Erika followed with the princess leaning on her smaller frame for support. She raised her pistol and took aim, taking another soldier in the head with a single round as her sister fired another burst and motioned them forward. "How much further?" Alice asked.

"One more floor down." Erika confirmed, checking the layout as she shifted places with her sister, shouting in pain as another round found its way into her leg. She hissed in pain and shot the offending soldier with a well-placed shot between the eyes. "Sonofa~" she hissed, clutching at her leg.

"Erika!" Alice yelled, turning back, ready to help her sister. Her eyes glowed red, the geass gifted to her by Lelouch ready to activate in defense of her sister.

"No!" Erika hissed, sinking to the ground. "The princess is more important. Come back for me, you take her first." She smiled weakly.

"If you die on me, I'm going to kill you." Alice said, retreating with the princess in tow.

* * *

"Erika!" Alice screamed, sitting bolt upright in the cot. Her quick breaths were shallow, panicked. Taking a gulp of air, she turned her head, sighing in relief as her sister sat upright, rubbing sleep from her tired eyes. She looked a mix of annoyance at having been awoken from her sleep and worried at being the source of her sister's distress.

Grimacing, Alice rolled from the cot, Erika following her movements. "Alice." Erika called, noticing the faint streak of tears falling from her sister's eyes. Murmuring something, Alice embraced her sister. This caught Erika by surprise, for her sister had never been a very physically intimate person. "Alice." Erika repeated.

"I'm sorry." Alice murmured, head against her sister's chest. "I'm sorry."

Sighing, Erika drew her sister's head close and stroked her hair, letting her sister ease her worries. "I'm fine, Alice."

A sudden lurch drew the two from their moment, Erika reached out and steadied herself, silently cursing the rough weather and the cargo vessel they were currently on. "Couldn't have taken a plane." Alice muttered as she drew away, wiping tears from her eyes.

Erika looked at her and sighed. "More anonymous to travel by cargo container." She drawled out, grabbing the handhold as she clambered for their stash of food. Thanks to technology, she could at least keep track of time, and frowned as she checked their countdown timer. "Two weeks, you'd think that ships would be faster by now." She grumbled, kicking the metal leg of the Knightmare in their container.

"You think what father says is true? About what Lelouch is saying. That the emperor . . . that the succession is only going to get worse from here." Alice asked.

Erika sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know. I don't want to believe it . . . but that's why we're taking this way. Unmarked container, shrouded from scanners, no fanfare, the usual route. It's all quite thorough." She mused, looking to where the Knightmare lay in its transport rack.

* * *

"The emperor hasn't heard from in nearly a month. The empire is falling apart. Areas five, six and twelve are in open rebellion." Lelouch grumbled, rubbing his temples in annoyance, he glanced at Juniper whose belly had begun to swell. She was uncharacteristically vapid, perhaps it was the hormones, but political intrigue went over her head more often than not nowadays. "June?" he asked, using the name he'd heard Schneizel and Cornelia use sometimes in their conversations.

She started, blinking back her thoughts. "Yes?"

Lelouch took concern at this. Frankly speaking, if she was in any distress, the emperor could have his head if anything happened to one of his playing pieces. "Are you feeling alright? You're oddly . . . distant." He said.

She frowned, something she'd been doing often as well. "It's just, can the empire really hope to hold onto all this territory at this point? I mean, with the emperor missing and areas in revolt, Schneizel's said that the EU was gearing up for war against our territories in the south. Despite sister Cornelia's efforts. Frankly, we're losing ground."

Nodding, Lelouch conceded the point. He never understood the reason the empire hadn't just strip mined the isles and left. The stagnation of the world, to his knowledge, was stopped. Was that it? He thought, had stopping Ragnarok or whatever his father had called it had triggered the fall of the empire? He couldn't say he was happy, it wasn't the entirety of the empire that was corrupt, it was the nobility and those that bought into Social Darwinism.

"We can't." Lelouch admitted. "I'm loathe to admit it, but the empire is losing. After everything the emperor did in his expansion, it's all for nothing now that we've stagnated." He spat. That was Schneizel's bit, not Lelouch's. The second prince was apparently aware of Juniper's views, likely planted there in her youth, not that he disagreed with the principle. Birthplaces were just another way of discriminating. Suzuki was an amazing little hellion of a Knightmare ace, even better than Suzaku was if he was to admit it. It just showed that race had nothing to do with skill and the emperor's little speeches on how equality was wrong made sense in the right context.

"We could run away." Juniper said quietly, making Lelouch do a double-take. "You don't owe the empire anything, I'm not likely to inherit anything aside from your title once Odysseus, Schneizel or Uriel take the throne I won't have anything." She mused, but blushed. "Sorry. I just said something weird, didn't I?"

Lelouch couldn't help but laugh, drawing an odd look from his wife. "Don't I wish it were that simple." He snorted, smiling to where she was giving him a questioning look. "We would both still have our obligations, me to my family and you to, for lack of a better word, our family."

Juniper blushed, thankful for the affirmation. It came with the territory, having several dozen half-siblings vying for the throne left little in the way of affection for parents. In a way they were celebrities like that, in the public eye, though perhaps she was both thankful and mystified that the media still hadn't caught on to her pregnancy. "Most people I know would be happy to marry into the imperial family."

Shrugging, Lelouch smirked. "Most people don't have income higher than most small countries' GDP." he said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. She laughed, a high, cheerful sound that always managed to brighten up Lelouch's day. If he'd known how hard running a country was, he'd have at least given Clovis some credit, he kept everything running. He'd also have gone with his old plan of running a revolution, at least he didn't have to deal with all the expense reports, public conferences, tax revenue and all the things that made him hate the empire.

Good things never lasted, Lelouch knew that much, so it came as no surprise that a knight knocked on his door, one of the command staff. With a salute, Lelouch acknowledge him as he gave his report. "Sir. We have a blackout from the Narita and southern garrisons." That small fact got Lelouch's attention.

"So the terrorists have made their move, have they?" Lelouch grunted. Turning to his wife, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back by tonight. I'll send for sub-viceroy Euphemia."

With a frown, Juniper at least nodded and gave him a hug, which was growing more and more difficult the larger the bulge in her lower stomach grew. "Be safe. Tear those terrorists a new one, won't you?"

Another chuckle, but the knight looked oddly grim. Terrorists usually annoyed the military more than anything. "Apologies, my lord. My lady." He began. "The reports coming in are unusual."

"How so?" Lelouch asked, the knight handing him the slate. Glancing over the information, Lelouch threw it down in annoyance and stalked towards the door.

"What's wrong?" Juniper asked.

"The federation's come knocking."

* * *

The Lancelot ducked under a Gun-Ru's line of fire, sweeping around the sword in its left hand, it carved through the flimsy steel covering that barely protected the cockpit block to ignite the flailing machine in a greasy fireball. Suzaku cursed, that Sawasaki was trouble, he knew that he should never have come back. Now the Chinese Federation was landing on Japanese soil. Conquerors disguised as liberators.

"All white callsigns, move to secondary rally point Charlie. Red teams to rally point Theta." Naoto ordered, the two ace frames complying as brother and sister carved through the much more inferior Gun-Ru with ease. Then again, Naoto thought, quantity was a quality all on its own.

They'd attacked out of nowhere, nearly two thousand Gun-Ru just roaring out of the ocean and overrunning the beach defenses before the military could respond. They'd taken the bases along the coast and were pushing inland. The few legion forces, less than a hundred in total, were hopelessly outnumbered. Small favor, he supposed, that the Kururugi siblings were just an airdrop away.

Suzaku danced through the ruined streets, dodging and carving up the Gun-Ru that appeared. Strictly speaking, they were inferior copies of the EU bumblebees, that lacked mobility. "Mobility's unnecessary when you have two forward facing cannons that turn normal vehicles into scrap with a single shot." Suzaku chuckled as he leapt into the air and drove the sword into the Gun-Ru's torso.

Nearby, his sister laughed her approval, the Red Comet was just as in her element as her brother was on the field of battle. The claw of the Guren tore through the Gun-Ru's cockpit as she fired her rifle through a second. "Doesn't mean anything if they can't hit us." She replied, torching a third with the claw as she kicked a fourth and caused it to topple over.

Humming his agreement, Suzaku tore through another as he melted a Gun-Ru against the energy shield, vaporizing the weak metal against the flash plasma of the shield. The sword flashed once more and dismembered another machine as the Guren flipped, driving its knife into the cockpit block and knocking another's gun off target with her harken. "Hooray for cheap knockoffs of knockoff prototypes." Suzuki drawled as a grenade went overhead as the Guren ducked and slashed the clawed hand into another, cooking it with radiation.

Driving the sword into yet another Gun-Ru, Suzaku had to wonder if there were literally infinity of these 'frog cannons' as his sister put it. He voiced as much, receiving a snorting laugh from Suzuki who gunned down a helicopter and retrieved a lance from a fallen imperial Glocuester. Twirling it, Suzuki took off, extending the lance and spearing another as Suzaku cleaved through another and disabled one about to fire on the Guren with the harken booster.

Suzuki swatted another machine from where it attempted to fire on them. No doubt the Chinese had figured out the source of the disturbance as the remaining Legion knightmares continued to scythe through what Gun-Ru they could find. Not that it was enough. Thirty knightmares, no matter how skilled the pilot, were no match against over two thousand that had the capacity to outright destroy machines with a single well-aimed shot. Thankfully then that the pilots were lousy shots.

"I'm down to my last six radiation charges." Suzuki noted, tossing aside the knightmare rifle and picking up another, she riddled an older APC with bullets as she drove over the fleeing infantry. With a sigh, Suzaku noted that the shield only had enough matter for fifteen more seconds of shielding time.

Reporting as much, Suzaku noted the evacuation of further regions was on-schedule as they pulled further back, grabbing chaos mines and releasing them, the remaining Legion pilots disengaged and fell back further from the coast. "HMS Vindicator, this is Kururugi. Do you copy?" Suzaku spoke in thankfully English as the comms officer of the large destroyer picked up on the signal in moments.

"HMS Vindicator here, reading you loud and clear." Came the reply.

"Requesting heavy saturation fire on my coordinates. Federation forces are closing fast." Suzaku relayed as another Legion frame was forced to eject as a Gun-Ru got in a lucky shot at its torso.

The officer came back with an affirmative. "Operative Kururugi, we have your group's location, pull back along the set coordinates and cover your ears."

"Much obliged." Suzuki added as Suzaku informed the Legion forces of their route. "We're not following their path, are we?" Suzuki grinned.

"Not a chance." Suzaku said as he had the men take cover in an underground tunnel.

The Vindicator, stationed off the coast was equipped with the second generation railgun. Capable of firing a one kilo slug at the speed of sound, the destructive force came more from the kinetic force of the weapon than the actual payload. Three of these weapons formed the Vindicator's primary armament as it locked onto the Chinese forces and awaited the all-clear.

The confirmation came less than a second later and within moments, the whine-crack of the prongs discharging energy fired the slugs towards their destination. Let it never be said that a Britannian forgot old grudges, as the federation forces were decimated with the three impacts and the succeeding tremors that rocked the machines, outright obliterating the machines caught in the projectiles' course as they slammed into the earth.

With a loud laugh that likely sounded more maniacal than it should have been, Suzuki watched as their original escape route was incinerated and the earth turned to a shattered mess as they sped across the old subway route. "Where to next?" she asked.

"Our orders are to fall back to the port . . . they've set up Exodus." Suzaku said.

The remaining pilots fell silent. "We're abandoning Japan?" Suzuki voiced their concerns. "After all we've been through."

"Live and fight another day." Suzaku said through gritted teeth. "The boss wouldn't abandon Japan if he didn't think we could win. We've followed him this far. I'm going all the way."

"As am I." one pilot said, others quickly following their affirmation.

"We aren't leaving forever." Suzaku spoke to Suzuki as they emerged from the tunnel. "We need to get stronger if the plan is going to succeed."

"For a brighter future." Suzuki agreed.

Together, the siblings parked the Lancelot and Guren inside the shipping container, sending the confirmation to Legion HQ as the remaining Legion pilots did the same with their Liberators. "I promise you, Suzuki." Suzaku said quietly. "We'll be back."

Suzuki took one final look as the container was being shut and whispered to herself. "I will return."

* * *

A/N:

Well, R0 is drawing to a close. It's been a rather short ride all things considered. I have a few ideas of what I'd like to do differently, but that's a project for another day. I've accelerated the timetable for a few reasons that are mine. For the record, roughly six months have passed since the first shot was fired.

Admittedly, this isn't my best work. It's just me getting back into the groove of writing. I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. I'll be finishing this story as soon as I'm able. Got a few of my term projects ready so I'll be finishing those so I can get back to you guys as soon as I can.

I hope to see you all in one of my other projects once R0 comes to a conclusion.

Arilia


	23. Chapter 19: Rise of the Child-Emperor

_"The federation had arrived. Nearly two thousand machines and ten times as many men made landfall on Kyushu and other southern portions of Area Eleven. The imperial garrison was woefully outnumbered and outgunned. It was only a matter of time until the settlements fell._

 _The rebels of the area rose up after all this time, overrunning the barriers with knightmares and armored vehicles. Relics, but useful nevertheless. Eventually, the only settlement that remained was Tokyo and the number of stories of legendary courage still echoes on as a hallmark of Britannian valor._

 _Sir Jericho Herschel, Area Eleven Garrison_

 _The Second Fall, Free Britannia Press 2026._

* * *

Genbu Kururugi was, in a word, conflicted. "The Britannians are pulling out, we've word the civilians have been evacuated on their stationed naval vessels and are fleeing the country." One of the Minami brothers said, the reports coming in were both better than they could imagine and yet far more terrifying.

"Sawasaki, you fool." Genbu grumbled, slamming a fist into the table. "We trade one tyrant for another." The aged former prime minister and rebel leader sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose in irritation. The dream to a free Japan was further than ever, negotiations with Britannia would be infinitely easier than with the federation's eunuchs. Those bastards, Genbu grumbled, wouldn't part with a single pebble for any reason or threat that the rebels possessed.

Nobody else seemed to share his opinion, all happened to be glad at this piece of information. Nothing else seemed to matter to the ecstatic rebels. It was only Genbu who realized the truth of the matter, that the eunuchs never did anything for free, Genbu wondered what his former minister had bargained away for the chance to kick Britannia from the country.

Tohdoh looked uncharacteristically worried, his brow furrowed in thoughts in the hangar. Sitting beside his old friend, the last prime minister offered his friend a shake of the head. "Tohdoh, it looks like this is the end." Genbu said solemnly, looking at the glad faces of the rebels. The latest information had the Chinese forces arriving to relieve the Japanese rebels and were requesting they disband to form a new national army to be temporarily under the command of the federation while they helped rebuild.

Nodding, the colonel glanced towards his machine. "So this is how our decade-long struggle ends? I . . . I'll admit, sir. I can't accept that this is how things will end." He grumbled, running a hand over the machine's smooth surface. "That all my comrades' deaths were in vain, that Japan won't be free after all our suffering."

Genbu smiled as Tohdoh and he reminisced on their past. From a young sergeant guarding the college son of a member of the diet, to the lieutenant in charge of his public events. "We've come a long way, my old friend." Genbu sighed, looking down at the shorter man's expression. "Do you have anyone you trust and will follow your orders to the last?"

Tohdoh eyed the rebel leader with a guarded expression. "I don't understand the question, sir. I trust my comrades with my life as they do theirs."

Snorting, the older man shook his head. "No. What I am asking is if there is someone, or some people that will follow you because of who you are and not because they are your men."

Reflecting for a moment, Tohdoh nodded. "My men from Itsukushima. The few that remain from their number claim they will follow me to whatever end I might have for them." He said, smiling to himself at the memory of a certain brown-haired lieutenant and his two constant companions. "Why do you ask?"

"In good conscience, I cannot let the ideals of Japan fade completely. We will regain our name, but we will lose everything. Our pride as a nation, our strength as a people, everything will end once we disband." Genbu sighed. "There is a cargo ship waiting in Tokyo Bay with coordinates given to me by my son. If he's the man I know he is, then he wants to help. Gather what men, supplies and vehicles you can and leave. I will surrender myself and formally disband the liberation front. It will give you a chance to get you and your men out."

Tohdoh gave his friend a solemn look. "Come with us, there is no shame in wanting to fight another day."

Chuckling, the old minister put a hand on the colonel's shoulder. "Perhaps. However, failure cannot be forgiven. You've always done a good job, no matter what that idiot Katase says, however you must go on without me." Genbu smiled and walked away, to put everything in order, his judgement would be decided, but he wouldn't leave anything in the hands of those bastards and their puppeteers.

"You will not be forgotten, my friend."

* * *

Cornelia's Gloucester danced to the tune of Lelouch's commands as the princess followed the intricate web the former prince wove across the field of war. Inwardly, she recognized the commanding tone the man used, one used to command and unafraid to make the harsh tactical decisions yet didn't carelessly throw his forces into the meat grinder. Here, Cornelia felt, was the emperor's child in all but name. It may have been the very reason he was drawn into the Imperial fold, his charisma and his mind coupled with the connections a man needed to run an empire. Though the line of succession was never clear to any but the emperor, Cornelia felt that with this man at Juiper's side, she was quickly climbing the ranks higher and faster than any should.

Not that she wanted to become empress, Cornelia thought as she skewered a Gun-Ru with her lance, sending a rocket from her pack thudding into another. Guilford had extracted his sword from the wreck of a bisected enemy frame as Darlton's rifle spat death at another. Ahead, two of the purple frames of the Glaston Knights smashed a formation of Gun-Ru apart with lighting speed as crossfire broke the entrenched squad of machines and infantry.

She felt a chill up her spine, and realized she was a part of William Gottwald's board, and like a well-played knight, she smashed apart formations with ease as fire from the modified command crawler's artillery pieces rained death down upon the enemy. It was the third day in the prolonged retreat tactics that Gottwald had put in place, and Cornelia felt as if it weren't just a delaying action, that the forty-six frames that remained of the once hundred strong garrison could hold the line until reinforcements arrived, so long as Gottwald kept up his strategy.

It was a hollow feeling, when another signal flat-lined, that another soul had fallen while under her watch. All that time, William's cold, precise wording dictated the flow of the battle as high-explosive shells and tremor rounds created openings and gaps in the enemy assault that the few Britannian knights that remained could exploit. He had to lead us, Cornelia thought, otherwise we wouldn't have lasted this long.

"Yes. We are ready to proceed with phase seven. All forces, follow projected courses and exit the field, head back to the third defense line." William's voice came over the channels as the command crawler began to move at maximum speed towards some destination that was a part of Gottwald's master plan or other.

Cornelia chanced a glance behind her as the city blocks that had served as their chokepoint for nearly twenty-four hours fell apart in less than a minute as a horde of Gun-Ru entered, nearly equal to the remaining Britannian frames. A single flare erupted from the crawler as the buildings begun to collapse and fall among the charging frames. "Princess, if I may." Guilford said, out of breath from that latest bout of battle.

"You might." His princess replied, wiping the sweat from her brow as the knights retreated back, only ten miles from the port now.

Darlton chuckled. "You may be the queen of victory, but Gottwald is the god of the battlefield."

Phase seven, as Gottwald had put it, was the final rearguard action for the Britannians. There were no more evasive maneuvers, no room to feint. However, every remaining artillery piece the empire had on the island was positioned to their rear, including the Vindicator and her sister ship, the Harbinger of Britannia. Both massive warships were in place as they provided the first salvo in the battle as the remaining crews repaired and refitted the remaining knights, thirty in all, with ammunition and energy fillers.

Fire rose from the rear of the Britannian formation as missiles sailed towards their targets, collapsing roadways, blocking tunnels and smashing cover for the Chinese as minelayers began the process of priming military-grade explosives onto pieces of rubble or burying them under the ground. "We've delayed the first wave; the carrier Wings of Victory has sent its landing craft over. All noncombat personnel begin boarding, destroy or trap whatever you can." Lelouch ordered, the crawler's artillery pieces began lighting up the dusk sky with incendiary rounds, the artillery pieces taking their dreadful toll on the Chinese invaders who sought to invade sovereign Britannian territory.

Cornelia began her own address as the countdown timer to the beginning of their next battle began to tick down. "These are the only words I have for all of you. Remember the fallen, but don't look back. You'll have plenty of time to catch up in hell. Courage and victory." She said, listening to the affirmations of her men as she racked the rifle's slide back and brought up her rifle's sights.

"All snipers, engage." William ordered, as the five 'sniper rifle' armed knightmares fired and the familiar whine-crack of railguns discharging their payload of death reached his ears. Lelouch watched as they fell among the first line of Gun-Ru, the stabilized darts tearing through cockpits and movement systems to leave them flailing and careening into each other.

The fire from the Gun-Ru smashed against the barricades, detonating or halting without smashing into the Britannian formation. In retaliation, firing slits opened as high-velocity shells ripped through the ranks of the federation's knightmares. This is going to be the longest hour of my life, Cornelia thought, grimacing as she fired her rifle at a Gun-Ru, watching it spark as several rounds detonated its ammunition rack, cooking off the rounds and turning the machine into a fireworks display. The plan was simple, hold the line until all civilians were evacuated then grapple onto the two ships and get out of Area Eleven.

The first wave of attackers fell at the fifteen-minute mark and Cornelia was pleased to note that it was Euphemia and Juniper who commanded the evacuation efforts from the Dauntless. The command crawler sent another salvo of high-explosive rounds into the distance as the next wave of the Gun-Ru came speeding from around the highway. "Bloody squints don't know when to quit." Lelouch groused, directing a volley of their artillery at the oncoming horde. "We'll run out of ammunition and energy fillers before they run out of knightmares to throw at us."

* * *

Juniper sat on the command throne of the Defiance-class carrier Dauntless, the VTOL transports touching down and departing in record time under the careful command of the princess. She may have been no commander or leader of men, but she did understand a thing or two about moving masses of people from one area to another. Beside her, Euphemia was busy managing the support sorties, individual flight commanders giving instructions on beating back the air support of the federation, thankfully managing to cut off their gunships from raining hell down upon the entrenched Britannian forces.

Sending yet another clearance order, she was praying to whatever gods may be to keep her husband safe. With a breath, she transferred docking procedures to the incoming transports to one of the other staff as she sent the green light for another gunship sortie to harass the seemingly endless tide of Gun-Ru.

Nearly thirty minutes had passed since the operation had begun in its final stage. She winced as the loud crack of the railguns briefly left her ears ringing despite the great distance from the other two ships. She hoped that they could get through the fight. Already, casualties were beginning to emerge, whittling down the already spent defenders even further. She had to hurry, Juniper thought as she sent a quartet of transports away once more. They were ahead of schedule but the situation was devolving far quicker than her husband had predicted.

"Princess, we've received word that all VIPs have been rescued. Only fifteen hundred people remain in the settlement zone, we can begin pulling back the aerial support and knightmares." One officer replied.

Mulling it over, Juniper nodded. Fifteen hundred, that meant over a hundred more trips to complete. "Send word that they're to fit as many people onto the transports as possible." She said as she brought up the link to the command crawler. "William, we need ten more minutes, but prepare to board the Vindicator and the Harbinger, the air force will supply cover while your men escape."

Hearing a sigh of relief, Juniper flushed with pride as her husband praised her. "Very good, we'll survive this yet." He said, cutting the transmission as he doled out another set of orders. Smiling to herself, Juniper turned her attention once more to admitting a flood of refugees into the carrier's decks.

* * *

Cornelia dodged a Gun-Ru's attempt at ramming her, the opposing frame careening into a building only to be skewered by her lance. Around her, the remaining Sutherlands and Gloucester frames were picking themselves up as more rounds impacted their position. Five minutes, Cornelia thought. "Five more bloody minutes." She growled, spearing a charging Gun-Ru and using it as a human shield as she fired her rifle at another machine before discarding the defunct weapon and drawing her sword.

Guilford's machine was missing an arm, his remaining missile pod firing off its last volley as he ejected it too and slashed a charging Gun-Ru in half lengthwise. Her knights, her guard and her men were at their limit, down on ammunition and energy, Cornelia found the timer counting down to the last arriving transport to be the longest thing in the world.

"All forces, begin falling back to point theta-six, all remaining artillery pieces, begin firing on point theta-four and gamma-eight." Lelouch commanded, the sporadic thuds of his remaining artillery pieces smashing the charging enemy forces apart in a well-timed barrage of explosive and tremor shells. "Good, drive the command crawler out towards the center of our formation and give the order to withdraw, wipe all combat and logistical data as well as communication data then prime the power plant to overload and set it to four minutes. Have the non-essential personnel escape first."

The massive purple vehicle began to take a beating as it lowered its weapon platforms and began firing and saturating the area before it with massed fire as the remaining Britannian forces began to escape towards the harbor, a fighting retreat against the far more numerous forces that the federation fielded.

Cornelia cursed as one of the Glaston Knights was forced to eject, lowering their dwindling numbers even further as two other knights found their frames destroyed and their rocket boosters failing to activate. "

A series of flares, their signal arrived as the Britannian forces pulled back and latched onto the ship as it pulled away from the harbor. "All forces, we are pulling out. All civilians are accounted for. Mission compete. See you all on the other side." Lelouch announced as the command crawler's guns began firing on full auto and towards the enemy position it charged.

The remaining servicemen aboard the crawler escaped with the last few vehicles and knightmares as the crawler began absorbing incoming fire. "This is not the end. It is only the beginning." Cornelia said as she leapt from the pier and attached to the passing Vindicator's hull.

Area Eleven soon receded behind them. The remaining Britannian ships opened a gap with their superior ships and broke the blockade with a salvo. The fading light heralded not only the end of a day, but also the end of Britannian control of Japan.

Taking a transport to the Dauntless, Lelouch worriedly looked for his wife as he entered the ship. He brushed aside the officers greeting him as he took a flight of stairs up to avoid the lifts. Entering the room where he was directed, he sighed in relief when she was there. Smiling at him. Alive.

Forgetting himself a moment, he smiled and rushed over to her. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"William. I'm fine, you're the one who was in the middle of all that fighting." Juniper reminded him with a weak smile. He held her in his arms as she cried quietly. "I'm alright."

Lelouch's smile disappeared as the screen turned on. The only reason that would happen is if breaking or urgent news was being streamed from the homeland. His eyes widened as he dimly heard his wife whisper. "Oh my God."

For on the screen, covered in bullet wounds, lay the 98th emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia, an expression of surprise etched onto his face.

The camera panned across to the image of a midget and Lelouch curled his fists in anger. "That dirty little midget."

"Breaking news from Pendragon Imperial Palace. As of this moment, the ninety-ninth emperor of our empire has been selected through the age-old right of conquest. You stand witness to the glory of our new emperor. All hail Vincent zi Britannia, ninety-ninth emperor of the realm. All Hail Britannia."

* * *

Dun dun dun,

With that, what's more or less the final chapter of R0 is complete. It's a bit shorter than I liked, the muse has been diverting energy to my other projects. First among them is the Lyanna Black series over in Harry Potter that'll run at the same time as R1 will albeit faster as it will contain about half the number of words as its Code Geass counterpart. The story for R0 is over, and whether I add an epilogue is a matter for another time since the story will technically still continue. However, there will be a timeskip of several years from the end of R0 to the beginning of R1 so it's easier for me to reason a greater deviance from canon.

The main reason Vincent zi Britannia, aka VV, killed the emperor is simple. You recall the final Sakuradite-Enhanced Nuclear Missile? Recall the location of the Geass Directorate. Yeah. So with that plan ruined, the midget of world domination known as VV decided that he's the better empire. More details will be in the earlier chapters of R1.

Also, if it wasn't obvious, the dirty little midget VV bought out the news agencies to his side which is why they appear so calm. Also, it's a little known thing and a saying that "to the victor goes the spoils" VV was successful, hence how he's now basically a usurper but most people don't care, life should go on as usual, no matter who the emperor is. For now anyway.

Until then,

Arilily


End file.
